India captain Gill praises the ‘vital’ T20 victory in Harare.

India captain Shubman Gill led his team to what he described as a “critical” 23-run victory in the third T20 international against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday. This win gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Gill himself contributed significantly with a score of 66 off 49 balls in India’s total of 182 for four, after winning the toss and opting to bat. Zimbabwe managed 159 for six in reply.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Gill emphasized the importance of the victory and expressed satisfaction with India’s strong start both with the bat and ball. He highlighted the team’s collective effort, pointing out that everyone’s contribution was a positive sign.

India got off to a rapid start, reaching 49 without loss in just four overs, thanks to a solid opening partnership of 67 runs between Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The Indian bowlers then put pressure on Zimbabwe early on, reducing them to 39 for five within the first seven overs of their innings. Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan claimed three wickets in the power play, while Washington Sundar took two wickets in his first over and finished with figures of three for 15 in four overs, earning him the man of the match award.

India benefited from the return of three World Cup squad members — Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube — who missed the first two matches due to celebrations in Mumbai following India’s World Cup victory. Jaiswal scored 36, Samson remained unbeaten on 12 off seven balls towards the end, and Dube bowled two overs conceding 27 runs.

Despite a commendable effort from Dion Myers, who scored an unbeaten 65 off 49 balls, and a partnership of 77 runs for the sixth wicket with Clive Madonde (37), Zimbabwe’s innings couldn’t recover from the early setbacks.

Zimbabwe captain Sikander Raza acknowledged a disappointing fielding performance, lamenting that they conceded 20 extra runs which proved costly in the end.