T20 World Cup’22, ZIM vs IND: India 186 for 5 (Suryakumar 61*, Rahul 51, Williams 2-9) beat Zimbabwe 115 (Burl 35, Raza 34, Ashwin 3-22) by 71 runs

India reached 186 for 5 thanks to Suryakumar Yadav’s remarkable death-overs hitting, with Suryakumar scoring 61 runs out of 25. After that, India’s quicks quickly ended the game, reducing Zimbabwe to 28 for 3 at the end of the powerplay and 36 for 5 shortly thereafter.

Zimbabwean resistance was scattered. Williams and Sikandar Raza took a wicket each in the 12th, 13th, and 14th overs of India’s innings. After that, Raza and Ryan Burl scored 60 runs off 35 balls for the sixth wicket, but Zimbabwe’s run rate never quite met the demand.

India, on the other hand, crushed it. KL Rahul made 51 off 35 for his second fifty in a row. With his 26 off 25, Virat Kohli regained his position at the top of the tournament’s run-getters list.

Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar then took wickets in each of their first overs with skillful swing, followed by Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya. R Ashwin ended the game by going 3 for 22 in his four innings.

The outcome was a victory by 71 runs

Suryakumar’s spectacular fine-leg hits

Where can Suryakumar be bowled to? Before their semi-final on Thursday, England will now have to try to figure this out.

The 18th over ended with a stunning six-over extra cover off Tendai Chatara, but the more impressive shots came over fine leg. Zimbabwe attempted to go full and wide to Suryakumar while stacking the offside. However, the batter continued to throw his front leg away to the offside, sometimes even to the crease’s wide markers. After that, he swept two of those balls over the fine-leg boundary with such force that it seemed to defy gravity.

Another wide full toss was the final ball of the innings; however, since fine leg was back for this one, Suryakumar scooped it up and shoved it over his left shoulder, resulting in the ball once more bouncing just over the rope.

Rahul gets India humming

However, Rahul had done the most to provide Suryakumar with a platform. After batting a maiden against Richard Ngarava in the opening over, he hit a six way over deep square leg midway through the next over and appeared to be in good shape thereafter.

His half-century was extended by two more sixes, both of which were down the ground. But there was a lot of smart running in the middle, especially when Virat Kohli was there.

Zimbabwe’s brief squeeze

Zimbabwe did launch a comeback between the 12th and 15th overs, despite Rahul’s fifty. Kohli was caught at long-off when Williams first got him out. After Rahul had attempted to repeat the six that had taken him past fifty in the previous ball, Raza dismissed him in the next over, slowed the ball, and had him give a high catch to long-off once more.

Burl’s outstanding running catch at long-on from left-hander Rishabh Pant cost the third wicket. Burl sprinted full tilt along the boundary to get both hands on it and completed the catch with a dive after Pant hit a flat and hard shot off Williams’s bowling.

India’s quicks blast out Zimbabwe’s top order

India’s seamers made it nearly impossible for Zimbabwe to win inside the powerplay after they scored 83 runs in the final six overs of their innings. Wessly Madhevere almost middled a late-swinging Bhuvneshwar delivery, but Kohli at short cover took a sharp catch diving low to his right.

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Arshdeep hit Regis Chakabva’s defences with his next swing. Then, at that point, late in the powerplay, Williams cut one to profound third. The path was too steep when Shami struck Tony Munyonga in front and Hardik Pandya caught and bowled Craig Ervine in the seventh over.

Even the excellent stand of Burl and Raza was never really threatened.