Ind-Zim T20I: Ind snatches 5-match series away from Zim

Harare: India snatched the T20I 5-match series away 3-1 from Zimbabwe after they made a 10-wicket win against the hosts in the third match here on Saturday. Yashaswi Jaiswal turned inferno against Zimbabwe bowlers, scoring 93 off 53 with 13 boundaries and two sixes to chase the 153 target in just over 15 overs. Captain Shubhman Gill complemented his comrade with a half-ton, too.

This is the second time that India beat Zimbabwe by ten wickets after a similar margin win at the same venue in 2016.

Jaiswal and Gill's approach was in complete contrast as the Mumbai southpaw went hammer and tongs during his unbeaten 93-run knock while the skipper (58 not out) was ready to play second fiddle in a chase of 153, which was completed in 15.2 overs.

The target was made to look way easier than it should have been on a track that had good bounce and carry.

Jaiswal, who had to sit out during the T20 World Cup campaign, hardly looked rusty, playing shots all around the wicket.

The thumping bowler's back-drive off rival skipper Sikandar Raza was delightful and equally stylish, as was the pick-up pull-off Richard Ngarava for a six.

The lack of pace in the Zimbabwean attack on a good wicket became the home team's undoing as the dominant Jaiswal had reached his half-century with nine boundaries when the skipper was yet to reach 15.

There was no way that Zimbabwe could have stopped the run-feast, as towards the end, the bigger interest was whether the two flag bearers of India batting into the next decade could reach their individual milestones of half-century and century.

It was Gill who got his fifty, but that didn't leave Jaiswal with enough runs to complete his hundred.

Earlier, India's part-time bowlers Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma performed commendably in the middle overs to restrict Zimbabwe to a manageable 152 for seven after being put into bat by Gill.

Raza smashed 46 off 28 balls, but India's fifth bowler Abhishek (1/20 in 3 overs) and sixth option Dube (1/11 in 2 overs) made a decent effort to keep the proceedings under control.

They removed the dangerous-looking opening duo of Wesley Madhevere (25 off 24 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32 off 31 balls) to put brakes in the middle overs.

However, Raza, with three sixes and two fours, was the reason that Zimbabwe reached a 150-plus target with almost all the Indian bowlers, save leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, entering their names in the wickets column.

Medium fast bowler Tushar Deshpande (1/30 in 3 overs) was handed a debut cap, but in his first spell, he flattered to deceive, either pitching it too full or bowling too short.

More often than not, he drifted on the pads, allowing both openers Madhevere and Marumani to pick up easy boundaries.

Deshpande would feel good that he could get rid of Raza with a slower delivery in the slog overs to prevent Zimbabwe from surpassing 170, which would have been par on this track.

Zimbabwe's best opening stand for the series in the first three games was nine, but Madhevere and Marumani added 63 in a solid stand, even if it was not exactly spectacular.

However, once the opening stand was broken by left-arm spinner Abhishek, who forced Marumani to mistime a pull-shot into Rinku Singh's hands, Zimbabwe couldn't press home the advantage they had gained.

Madhevere was accounted for by Dube as he couldn't get the required elevation and distance to a short ball. Rinku, at deep mid-wicket, completed formality.

Brian Bennett (9 off 14 balls), who was brilliant with the bat in the second game, failed to get going before Washington sent him back. This was after Dube and Abhishek bowled wicket to wicket and kept a check on scoring.