157/7 (20.0)
CR : 7.85
192/5 (20.0)
CR : 9.60
India won by 35 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
V Sooryavanshi
81(49)
Ryan Burl and Brian Bennett get a special award for completing 2000 T20I runs.
Player of the Match and series: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (POTM and POTS): "[How good do you feel with the performance in this series?] Everything felt good. We arrived three days before the first T20I. The preparation here has been good. I have played U-19 WC here as well. So, I really enjoy playing here. Everyone backed me – the captain, the coaches, everyone. I am happy.
[Tell us about your attitude] I played my game. I tried the same thing in all the T20Is. I love to give the start to my team.
[Best attribute as a batter at the top of the innings] My shots are the same ones as the ones I practise. I try to replicate what I do in the practice.
[Dream come true?] Yes, first Man of the Match and Man of the Series. This is what I dreamt of. I am happy."
[Tell us about your attitude] I played my game. I tried the same thing in all the T20Is. I love to give the start to my team.
[Best attribute as a batter at the top of the innings] My shots are the same ones as the ones I practise. I try to replicate what I do in the practice.
[Dream come true?] Yes, first Man of the Match and Man of the Series. This is what I dreamt of. I am happy."
Youngest Player of the Match for India Across Formats:
15y 121d – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2026 (T20I), Today*
17y 112d – Sachin Tendulkar vs England, Manchester, 1990 (Test)
17y 225d – Sachin Tendulkar vs Sri Lanka, Pune, 1990 (ODI)
18y 295d – Ravi Shastri vs New Zealand, Auckland, 1981 (Test)
18y 300d – Yuvraj Singh vs Australia, Nairobi (Gymkhana), 2000 (ODI)
18y 331d – Prithvi Shaw vs West Indies, Rajkot, 2018 (Test)
15y 121d – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2026 (T20I), Today*
17y 112d – Sachin Tendulkar vs England, Manchester, 1990 (Test)
17y 225d – Sachin Tendulkar vs Sri Lanka, Pune, 1990 (ODI)
18y 295d – Ravi Shastri vs New Zealand, Auckland, 1981 (Test)
18y 300d – Yuvraj Singh vs Australia, Nairobi (Gymkhana), 2000 (ODI)
18y 331d – Prithvi Shaw vs West Indies, Rajkot, 2018 (Test)
Sikandar Raza received a special award for becoming the most capped Zimbabwean player during the previous series against Bangladesh. He received a memento from his father.
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe Captain): "[Key takeaways from this series] A lot of them, to be honest with you. I think, firstly, well done to Zimbabwe Cricket for hosting these fixtures because if you do not play against the top nations in the world as a country, we can't grow. And I think world cricket is much better when all the countries are playing good cricket. So the learnings from this series will certainly help us to bridge that gap between the top nations and the slightly lower-ranked nations because I feel like cricket is a lot more entertaining when everybody is playing really well. And for us, the biggest learning is the experience that we have had. Nyamhuri has certainly been a great addition to the side as well. Marumani is taking on the number six and seven role. Madhevere has had some decent runs. So, there are a lot of good things that I can think of. So, yeah, very happy.
[How is the dressing room in recent times?] The journey started long ago. We wanted to change a few things in the change room. We wanted to be there for each other's success. We wanted to be there for each other's failures. We wanted to put our hearts on our sleeves. We wanted to die for every ball. We wanted to bowl every ball with intent and bat every ball with intent. Along the way, especially this new cycle, we want to change a few things because we feel like we have to match the intensity of world cricket. And along the way, we will have some bad games, and I'm very okay with that. But one thing I do know is that once the lessons, once the experience we have had, match the standard of world cricket, once Zimbabwe come out, we will flourish.
[Next assignment is the Namibia Tri-Series. There is some time for preparation. What are they looking forward to?] Certainly! I will try and buy a run for myself. That will be the first thing I look at (chuckles). No, the team has held themselves really well without my contributions. But as a leader, I know where I falter and what I need to do. And I still need to be leading this team from the front with everything that I do. But very happy with how the team has gone about their business without me scoring runs. Hopefully, when I start contributing, I'll add a lot more to the team's success. And I'm pretty sure those runs are around the corner."
[How is the dressing room in recent times?] The journey started long ago. We wanted to change a few things in the change room. We wanted to be there for each other's success. We wanted to be there for each other's failures. We wanted to put our hearts on our sleeves. We wanted to die for every ball. We wanted to bowl every ball with intent and bat every ball with intent. Along the way, especially this new cycle, we want to change a few things because we feel like we have to match the intensity of world cricket. And along the way, we will have some bad games, and I'm very okay with that. But one thing I do know is that once the lessons, once the experience we have had, match the standard of world cricket, once Zimbabwe come out, we will flourish.
[Next assignment is the Namibia Tri-Series. There is some time for preparation. What are they looking forward to?] Certainly! I will try and buy a run for myself. That will be the first thing I look at (chuckles). No, the team has held themselves really well without my contributions. But as a leader, I know where I falter and what I need to do. And I still need to be leading this team from the front with everything that I do. But very happy with how the team has gone about their business without me scoring runs. Hopefully, when I start contributing, I'll add a lot more to the team's success. And I'm pretty sure those runs are around the corner."
Shreyas Iyer receives the winner's cheque!
Shreyas Iyer (India Captain): "[First win as the captain, first series win as captain. Takeaways from this series?] As we saw how fearless they are, they are a young bunch of players who have been showing tremendous energy on the field and the intent, especially when you play back-to-back games. To have that kind of energy is what I require as a captain and as a team, and they delivered today as well, back-to-back games. So, yeah, a special feeling for me to win the series over here in Zimbabwe. Clinical, three-nil. So it's going to be a special moment.
[Extra responsibility as a captain?] I think if you look at the record, I've played almost a similar number of matches compared to all of them, which is around 55 to 60 (chuckles). So, I mean, experience-wise, there are many players who have tremendous experience because nowadays they play in the IPL as well. So, yeah, they are special talent, and the best you could get out of them is beneficial for the team as well. So every time I step onto the field, I make sure they are comfortable and relaxed because that's when you can get the best out of them.
[How much easier it makes your job when all three departments are firing?] Absolutely, it's very much required, especially as a captain. You see boys stepping up, taking that responsibility and winning the games for you. That's what you need going forward as well. So we have created the momentum right now, and it's important that we are consistent with our approach and attitude. It's going to be challenging going forward as well, but the calmness we possess, and if we show the same amount of courage going forward, I think it's going to be great for Indian cricket.
[What stands out the most and encourages you when you see this young group?] I think the standard that we set right from match one – if we keep levelling up, or rather than worrying too much about the results, all we need to do is think about going a notch above every time you step out on the field. And that's what we kept on giving the message to all the players, saying that it doesn't matter what situation we are facing; it's important that we are playing to the best of our abilities and seeing to it that we take the team through."
[Extra responsibility as a captain?] I think if you look at the record, I've played almost a similar number of matches compared to all of them, which is around 55 to 60 (chuckles). So, I mean, experience-wise, there are many players who have tremendous experience because nowadays they play in the IPL as well. So, yeah, they are special talent, and the best you could get out of them is beneficial for the team as well. So every time I step onto the field, I make sure they are comfortable and relaxed because that's when you can get the best out of them.
[How much easier it makes your job when all three departments are firing?] Absolutely, it's very much required, especially as a captain. You see boys stepping up, taking that responsibility and winning the games for you. That's what you need going forward as well. So we have created the momentum right now, and it's important that we are consistent with our approach and attitude. It's going to be challenging going forward as well, but the calmness we possess, and if we show the same amount of courage going forward, I think it's going to be great for Indian cricket.
[What stands out the most and encourages you when you see this young group?] I think the standard that we set right from match one – if we keep levelling up, or rather than worrying too much about the results, all we need to do is think about going a notch above every time you step out on the field. And that's what we kept on giving the message to all the players, saying that it doesn't matter what situation we are facing; it's important that we are playing to the best of our abilities and seeing to it that we take the team through."
Shreyas Iyer lifts the trophy and joins his teammates in the celebration! Ashok Sharma is the first one to lift and start the celebration.
That is the end of our coverage from Harare! Shreyas Iyer enjoys his first series win as an Indian captain after losing in Ireland and England. To add the cherry on top of the cake, India complete their first whitewash over Zimbabwe in a bilateral T20I series with a minimum of three matches. For Zimbabwe, they have too much work to do, including their skipper Sikandar Raza, who had a dismal series himself.
India's next assignment in Sri Lanka next month. It is a two-match Test series. Zimbabwe will be playing a Tri-Series in Namibia in August.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Pritam Dey and Dev Rajawat, scorer Bishal Mandal and statistician Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it's cheers!
India's next assignment in Sri Lanka next month. It is a two-match Test series. Zimbabwe will be playing a Tri-Series in Namibia in August.
For now, this is me, AkshayaKishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Pritam Dey and Dev Rajawat, scorer Bishal Mandal and statistician Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it's cheers!