[Watch] Zimbabwe players and fans celebrate joyously after defeating India in 1st T20I in Harare
Zimbabwe players were ecstatic after they beat Team India in the first T20I on Saturday, July 6 at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. Courtesy of the memorable win, the hosts took an early lead of 1-0 in the five-match series.
India are fielding an inexperienced squad for this series, as most of the senior players who won the World Cup last month have been rested. Stand-in captain, Shubman Gill, won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first T20I. Zimbabwe batters put on a decent fight on a sluggish pitch and scored 115/9 in 20 overs. The spin duo of Ravi Bishnoi (4/13) and Washington Sundar (2/11) were among the wickets for Men in Blue.
The home team bowlers then put on a show in the second innings and skittled out India for 102 in 19.5 overs. Tendai Chatara (3/16) and Sikandar Raza (3/25) performed well for the African nation in the bowling department.
The Zimbabwe players and the fans at the ground were elated after the final wicket of Washington Sundar and celebrated the victorious moment joyously.
You can watch the winning moment and celebrations in the below posts:
"Feeling really happy with this win but we're not going to take the celebrations too far"- Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza after win vs India
At the post-match presentation, Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza expressed happiness for securing a victory against a top team like India. However, he wants his side to stay grounded as he anticipates the World Champions to make a strong comeback following the setback. Reflecting on the win, Sikandar said:
"Feeling really happy with this win but we're not going to take the celebrations too far. The world champions are going to come back like world champions, so we have to take it one at a time."
Raza further added:
"As long as we go out there and give it a tough fight, give the crowd what they deserve, I'm happy. The fans were there to lift us up with their energy and we did not let them down today. Hope to keep this going!"
The two teams will face off in the second T20I of the five-match series on Sunday (July 7) at the same venue.