Harare, July 6

An inexperienced yet spirited Zimbabwe pulled off an upset of massive proportions when they stunned an Indian team brimming with an array of Next-Gen stars by 13 runs in the first T20I of their five-match series here today.

India, who were recently crowned champions in the T20 World Cup albeit with a different set of players, were expected to breeze past an unfancied Zimbabwe and the script followed the line when the hosts were restricted to 115/9. Thereon, Zimbabwe wrote their own narrative, reducing India to 28/4 in the powerplay and then eventually bowled them out for 102 in 19.5 overs.

1 It was India’s first defeat in T20Is in 2024 and first against Zimbabwe in eight years

3 This was just Zimbabwe’s third win in nine T20 Internationals this year

Halfway through (the match) we had lost five wickets, and it would’ve been best for us if I stayed there till the end. I am very disappointed with the way I got out and the rest of the match panned out. Shubman Gill, India captain

Feel really happy about the win. But the job is not done, the series is not over. World champions play like world champions so we need to be ready for the next game. Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe captain

Pacer Tendai Chatara (3/16) and skipper Sikandar Raza (3/25) led the home side’s bowling.

India’s stutter began in the first over itself, losing Abhishek Sharma, one of three T20I debutants along with Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel, for a duck.

Sharma’s almighty cross-batted heave off Brian Benett was caught easily by Wellington Masakadza in the outfield.

But what was perceived as a scratch soon turned into a gash as India kept losing wickets.

Ruturaj Gaikwad (7) could not negate a slightly bouncier offering from pacer Blessing Muzarabani, edging to Innocent Kaia at the floating first slip.

Soon, pacer Chatara dealt a double blow to India, dismissing Parag (2) and Rinku Singh (0) in the space of three balls in the fifth over.

Parag’s over-enthusiastic loft over mid-off could not clear substitute Brandon Mavuta, while Rinku did not have the necessary space to execute pull off a climbing-up delivery.

However, skipper Shubman Gill kept India in the chase with a sensible knock (31), but Sikandar Raza accounted for his counterpart with a delivery that skidded past his bat to rattle the stumps.

Avesh Khan (16) and Washington Sundar (27) added 23 runs for the eighth wicket to take India to 84 but a full-blooded smash off a Masakadza full-toss was accepted by Raza at long-off.

At 84/8 and then at 86/9, it was well and truly over.

Brief scores: Zimbabwe: 115/9 in 20 overs (Madande 29*, Myers 23; Bishnoi 4/13, Sundar 2/11); India: 102 all out in 19.5 overs (Chatara 3/16, Raza 3/25).