The Indians had little time to regroup after the shock loss to Zimbabwe in the series opener on Saturday. But they did well to bounce back soon, showing the minnows their place.

Abhishek Sharma’s blitz (100 off 47 balls), No.3 Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 77 off 47 balls and Rinku Singh (48 not out off 22 balls)’s finishing laid the platform for India to restore parity in the series as they thrashed Zimbabwe by 100 runs in the second T20I in Harare on Sunday.

Once again, India, after winning the toss and batting first, had lost an early wicket in the form of captain Shubman Gill (2) with just 10 on the board. But thanks to left-hander Abhishek, who brought into play the game that has made him a vital cog of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up, Gaikwad and Rinku — who was promoted at No.4 ahead of Riyan Parag — India could post a massive total of 234/2.

That was just too much to get for the opposition to overhaul as they were eventually bowled out for 134 with eight balls to spare. Quicks Mukesh Kumar (3/37) and Avesh Khan (3/15) made fair use of the pitch, while leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi struck twice.

After an abysmal showing in the first T20I, the performance and aggression with the bat on Sunday, particularly that of Player of the Match Abhishek, should make the Indian camp happier. Falling for nought on debut, he got his first runs in international cricket with a maximum.

Cutting loose on anything in his arc, Abhishek then hammered three maximums in a row to register his maiden international ton in the 14th over, racing to 100 from 82. He did enjoy a slice of luck when dropped on 27 at the long-off region, but that aside, it was a clinical knock from the 23-year-old that helped India amass 194 in the last 13 overs of their innings.

Brief scores: India 234/2 in 20 ovs (Abhishek Sharma 100, Ruturaj Gaikwad 77 n.o.). Zimbabwe 134 in 18.4 ovs (Avesh Khan 3/15, Mukesh Kumar 3/37). India won by 100 runs.