[Watch] Mukesh Kumar sends back Wesley Madhevere for a duck in his very first over of IND vs ZIM 5th T20I
Mukesh Kumar provided an early breakthrough for India against Zimbabwe in the fifth and final T20I at Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 14. The speedster struck in his very first over to send back Wesley Madhevere for a three-ball duck to dent Zimbabwe’s run-chase in the opening over.
The dismissal came as Mukesh bowled a short of a good-length ball that came in with the angle and Madhevere was stuck in his crease. The right-hander ended up chopping it onto the stumps.
Watch the video below:
Notably, Madhevere scored 25 off 24 balls in the fourth T20I. He also shared a 63-run partnership with Tadiwanashe Marumani for the opening wicket. Mukesh was rested for that game.
Mukesh Kumar has looked impressive in the T20I series, bagging four wickets in his previous two outings, including 3/37 in the fourth game.
India set a 168-run target for Zimbabwe in the fifth T20I; Mukesh Kumar strikes early
Asked to bat first, India put up 167/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Sanju Samson top scored with 58 runs off 45 balls with the help of four sixes and one boundary. Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag chipped in with scores of 26 (12) and 22 (24). Meanwhile, Rinku Singh stayed unbeaten on 11 off nine deliveries.
Blessing Muzarabani was the pick of the Zimbabwe bowlers, returning with figures of 2/19, while skipper Sikandar Raza, Richard Ngarava and Brandon Mavuta bagged one wicket apiece.
At the time of writing, Zimbabwe were 119/6 after 17.2 overs. Mukesh had taken two wickets in his three overs.
Team India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match T20I series. The visitors lost the opening game by 13 runs in a paltry 116-run chase.
The Shubman Gill-led side, however, bounced back with a 100-run win in the second match. The visitors continued their winning momentum by beating Zimbabwe by 23 runs and 10 wickets in the third and fourth games, respectively.
The Men in Blue will next play a three-match T20I and ODI series in Sri Lanka, starting July 27.
Follow the IND vs ZIM 5th T20I live score and updates here.