Sanju Samson’s well-crafted fifty and Mukesh Kumar’s disciplined spell helped India wind up their Zimbabwe tour with a comprehensive 42-run victory in the fifth and final T20I in Harare on Sunday. (Scorecard | As It Happened)
With this win, India clinched the series 4-1.
Samson’s (58, 45b) was central to India’s healthy 167 for six along with Shivam Dube’s flashy 26 (12b).
Then the India bowlers led by Mukesh (4/22), Shivam Dube (2/25) and Washington Sundar (1/7) did their job😼, bundling out Zimbabwe for 125 in 18.3 overs.
After the early dismissal of Wessly Madhevere, who dragged the third ball of the first over by pacer Mukesh onto his stumps, and Brian Bennett, the pair of Tadiwanashe Marumani (27) and Dion Myers 🐻(34) added 44 runs for the third wicket to keep the hosts in the hunt.
Ma♔rumani’s switch-hit four off leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who went for a few runs in this ♋match, was quite stunning in its execution.
But such shots were few and f▨ar between from the Zimbabwe batters.
Marumani went for a sweep shot aꦺgainst Washington but missed th🌟e line altogether as the ball crashed onto his upper torso to get adjudged as leg-before.
Dube tailed a shuffling Myers with a quicker delivery onto his body, and the Zimbabwe batter merely chipped the ball to Abhishek Sharma at short third man.
The fi🌠nal nail in their hope was the run out of skipper Sikandar Raza (8), who came in a cartwheel of four wickets for nine runs♔.
Mukesh, who bagged his c🌠areer-best T20 figure, fittingly ended Zimbabwe's innings going through the gate of Richard Ngarava.
Earlier, Samson (1x4, 4x6) and Riyan Parag (22, 24b) add🀅ed 65 runs for the 𒁃fourth wicket as India recovered from a middling Power Play in which they scored 44 for three.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (12), who made an unbeaten 93 in the fourth T20I, started the proceedings with two sixes in the first two bal🦂ls of the innings bowled by Raza.
But in the fourth ball of the same over, Jaiﷺswal played the wrong line to deliver on the mi🅰ddle and leg stump to get bowled.
Abhishek, who was dropped on 10 by Bennett off Blessing Muzarabani, did nꩲot last long, ♍edging the pacer two balls later to Clive Madande behind the wicket.
Skip💜per Shubman Gill, who received a reprieve on 11, was never in his fluent self and smashed left-arm seamer Ngarava straight into the hands of Raza in the deep.
At 44 for three, India needed a partnership to steady the innings. Samson and Parag provided just 🤪that🃏.
Their alliance was all about prudence rather than theatrics, choosing the correct delivery to p🌳unish.
It was the right approach too considering the pitch was not precisely a belter as it was in the previous two match♑es, offering a hint of turn.
However, Samson showed his aggressive side🐎 ⛦when the opportunity presented itself.
He biffed leg-spinner Brandon Mavuto for two sixes in a row and the second shot was a little mar♌vel.
Mavuto angled the ball into Samson’s leg stump, but the right-hander gave himself enough space to carve that over extra cover for a♏ maximu⛄m.
Samson brought up his fi🦩fty in 39 balls, his second in ♊T20Is, but Parag departed as India were looking for some late acceleration.
The right-hander perished to Mavuto while looking to clear the fence, and Samson too co﷽uld not carry🐬 on till the end of the innings.
He took on Muzarabani, the most impressive among homeꦍ-side bowlers, but ended up giving a catch to tumbling Marumani.
However, the tourists found some꧟ 💝late steam through Dube’s fireworks.
