Sanju Samson top-scored with 58 off 45 balls and Mukesh Kumar took 4/22 as India made short work of Zimbabwe even in the fifth and final T20I in Harare on Sunday. The comfortable 42-run win earned the Shubman Gill-led side a 4-1 series win.
This wasn’t India’s first-string team at all, yet it hardly had any problems despite losing the series opener, thanks to this extremely below-standard Zimbabwean side. In reply to India’s 167/6, the Zimbabweans were bundled out for 125 with nine balls to spare.
On Sunday, however, Samson, who had just one innings to bat earlier on this tour, utilised this opportunity to play a leading role in reviving India’s innings. Put into bat, India had lost Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma and skipper Gill with only 40 on the board after five overs.
On that wicket which seemed a bit two-paced, Samson did well to curb his instincts and was completely focused on treating the ball on its merit. India’s scoring rate did dip below eight an over when Riyan Parag (22) perished in the 15th over after the 65-run stand with Samson, but that fourth-wicket partnership had certainly laid the platform to go all guns blazing in the death overs.
In fact, Samson ensured to get his strike rate up when joined by Shivam Dube, eventually finishing with a boundary and four maximums. Dube, thereafter, made sure he contributed as well as his 12-ball 26, comprising two fours and as many sixes, were important in helping India past 150.
Rinku Singh (11 not out off 9 balls) also managed to hit a maximum towards the close of the innings, which helped India breach the 160-mark.
With the ball, Mukesh struck twice in his first spell, removing opener Wessly Madhevere and No.4 Brian Bennett. Coming back to the XI in place of Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh did well with the new ball just as he had done in the first two games of this series.
If he got the new ball to move a bit, the Bengal pacer got things mostly right with his accuracy during the closing overs. Like Washington Sundar, Mukesh too finished with eight wickets, though the Player-of-the-Series award went to the former for taking a wicket in each of the five games with his off-spin and finishing at an economy rate of 5.16.
Brief scores: India 167/6 in 20 ovs (Sanju Samson 58, Shivam Dube 26; Blessing Muzarabani 2/19). Zimbabwe 125 in 18.3 ovs (Dion Myers 34; Mukesh Kumar 4/22, Shivam Dube 2/25). India won by 42 runs.
