Record-breaking Sooryavanshi helps Shreyas Iyer register first win as India captain

Results in brief: India (126/3 in 13.2 ovs) beat Zimbabwe (125/7) by seven wickets in the first T20I in Harare. sooryavanshi (50)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi lit up Harare with a record half-century while Mayank Yadav returned to dream international cricket as India outclassed Zimbabwe by eight wickets in the opening T20I on Thursday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

ZIM vs IND 1st T20I: SCORECARD | MAIN DATA

The win ended India’s seven-match winless run in T20Is, gave Shreyas Iyer his first win as captain and put the visitors 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Mayank laid the groundwork for his return to international cricket after a stress fracture. The fast bowler, playing his first match since October 2024, struck with the opening ball and finished with two wickets as Zimbabwe were restricted to 125 for seven.

Chasing 126, India lost Abhishek Sharma early but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ensured there were no alarms. The 15-year-old cruised to 50 from just 19 balls, making the milestone in just 18 deliveries as India completed the chase in 13.2 overs.

India were in control for most of the contest. Their speed attack exposed Zimbabwe’s top order, reducing the hosts to 32 for four before the middle order added some late runs. Sooryavanshi then took the match away from the hosts, with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer seeing India home with over six overs to spare.

SOORYAVANSHI ANNOUNCES

Sooryavanshi’s much-anticipated international debut in England earlier this month did not go to plan, but he made an immediate impact on his return to Harare Sports Club, where he scored a memorable 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final earlier this year. India lost Abhishek Sharma early when Blessing Muzarabani forced the opener to rip one to third man after he managed just one off eight balls.

That was as good as it got for Zimbabwe. Sooryavanshi quickly took control of the chase and took on the fast bowlers with complete freedom. He declared with two stunning sixes off Richard Ngarawa in the second over. The first was a single-leg drag over deep square-leg before making room to blast a long-on delivery over mid-on.

Muzarabani, who initially kept him quiet, was also dispatched for a long-on six as India raced to 66 in the Powerplay.

Sooryavanshi reached his maiden T20I fifty in just 18 balls, becoming the youngest player in the history of men’s international cricket to score an international half-century. His innings of 50 off 19 deliveries included four fours and four sixes before Ngarava ended his stay.

Ishan Kishan kept pace with 35 off 24 balls while Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on 28 to complete the chase with over six overs to spare.

MAYANK YADAV SETS THE TONE

Earlier, Mayank Yadav wasted no time in reminding everyone what India missed out on during his long injury layoff. The fast bowler struck on the opening delivery of the match when Brian Bennett was caught behind. The on-field umpire did not move, but India successfully reviewed the wicket.

Mayank consistently clocked over 145km/h and extracted a nasty bounce from a hard length. His second goal came when Dion Myers mistimed a shot against extra pace.

Debutant Ashok Sharma settled after a costly first over, while Prince Yadav backed Mayank with two wickets of his own.

Zimbabwe never recovered from the early wounds. During the over, they slumped to 26 for three and then 32 for four when skipper Sikandar Raza picked a fielder at deep square leg while trying to bowl Shivam Dube.

Ryan Burl (26), Wessly Madhevere (38) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27 not out) put together useful partnerships to take Zimbabwe past the 120-run mark but were never able to put India under any real pressure.

Ravi Bishnoi also enjoyed a solid outing, returning figures of 1 for 24 from his four overs.

After the bowlers secured victory, Sooryavanshi finished the job in style as India ended their seven-match winless run in T20Is, handing Shreyas Iyer his first win as captain and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

23 Jul 2026 20:04 IST