Ind-Zim T20 2: Abhishek pummels Zimbabwe bowlers to win

Harare: In the 2nd T20I of the 5-match series, India won by a whopping hundred runs. Smasher Abhishek Sharma pummelled all those Zimbabwean bowlers he could to hit a 46-ball century and take India to a huge total of 234 in 20 overs, and Zimbabwe got cursed on Sunday afternoon.

This is India's biggest margin of victory in terms of runs against Zimbabwe in T20Is.

The young Indian side didn't carry the baggage of a shock-13-run defeat in the series-opener as left-handed opener Abhishek blended power with grace for a scintillating 100-run knock that propelled India to a massive 234 for two on a track where batting wasn't exactly easy.

The ask was already stiff, and Indian bowlers got breakthroughs at regular intervals to bowl out Zimbabwe for 134 in 18.4 overs to set the record straight.

Pacers Mukesh Kumar (3/37) and Avesh Khan (3/15) removed the top-order inside the Powerplay to kill the contest, which became a formality after that.

The day certainly belonged to Abhishek, who mixed grace and power in equal measure in an innings embellished with eight sixes and seven fours.

It made a normally stylish Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 balls) look pale in comparison during their 137-run stand for the second wicket.

His innings would also increase the headache for skipper Shubman Gill and stand-in coach VVS Laxman, who would need to take a tough call when Yashasvi Jaiswal is available from the third game.

After his century, there is no way that the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener can be dropped from the playing XI.

Having endured the disappointment of a four-ball duck on debut, Abhishek never looked under pressure on a track which his senior partner and current CSK partner Gaikwad found "difficult to feel set".

The hallmark of his innings was fearlessness as he took calculated risks, which paid off and allowed Gaikwad at the other end to get into the groove after playing and missing for the better part of his innings.

Abhishek got a reprieve on 27 when Wellington Masakadza dropped a regulation skier off Luke Jongwe. He never looked back after that.

He started his international run account with a pulled six off-spinner Brian Bennett, who had got the better of him on Saturday.

His fifty came off another pulled six behind square off medium pacer Dion Myers, whose 28-run over actually opened the floodgates during the back-10 for the visitors.

The shot that was most pleasing to the eye was his inside-out six off rival skipper Sikandar Raza, lofting his off-break with the turnover extra cover boundary.

If that was elegance personified, the manner in which he muscled left-arm spinner Masakadza into the orbit with back-to-back sixes was a testimony to his brute power.

He raised his milestone hundred when he guided a wayward full-toss on leg-stump behind the square for a maximum before being dismissed off the very next delivery.

On return to the dugout, he was congratulated by his skipper and best friend, Shubman Gill, who once again had an indifferent outing.

The poor fielding effort also hurt Zimbabwe as they also dropped Gaikwad's catch, who took off from where Abhishek had left, creaming off 87 runs off 36 balls for the third wicket with Rinku Singh (48 not out off 22 balls), who also made merry with five huge sixes.

The total was India's highest against Zimbabwe in T20 Internationals, surpassing the previous best of 186, a fitting comeback after an inexplicable batting collapse in the opening game.

The Indian pacers, despite the usage of a long handle by No. 3 Bennett (26 off 9 balls), were on target as Mukesh cleaned up two batters with slightly back-of-the-length off-cutters.

Avesh's nasty snorter was something that opposition skipper Sikander Raza least expected while trying to fend off being hit on the helmet.

Once Ravi Bishnoi (2/11 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (1/28 in 4 overs) came into operation, the Zimbabwe batters weren't able to hit them.

The difference certainly was extra bounce generated by off-spinner Washington and the pace at which Bishnoi consistently bowled his googlies.

With the series levelled at 1-1, it is expected that Sanju Samson will replace Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps, Shivam Dube, with his all-round skills, will come in place of Sai Sudharsan and Riyan Parag might have to sacrifice his place for Jaiswal in the match scheduled on July 10.