Cricket: India win Twenty20 series 2-1 after clinching decider by three runs
Zimbabwe got 135/6 in response to India's 138/6.
India won the three-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe 2-1, after clinching the decider on Wednesday in Harare by three runs. Chasing India's score of 138/6, Zimbabwe finished on 135/6 in a thriller.
India found themselves struggling at 27/3 after choosing to bat. It could have got worse but a dropped catch allowed Ambati Rayudu to get to 20. It was Kedhar Jadhav who added some respectability to the score-line, finishing with a 42-ball 58 to take his team to a competitive 138/6. Donald Tiripano impressed for the hosts, picking up 3/20.
Zimbabwe got off to a decent start, reaching the 50-run mark with the loss of just a wicket, but lost the way after that. The asking rate kept increasing as both Vusi Sibanda and Peter Moor were dismissed for 28 and 26 respectively. Zimbabwe needed 35 in the last three overs, but Dhawal Kulkarni dismissed Malcolm Waller via a fantastic catch from Jasprit Bumrah.
Barinder Sran started off the last over with Zimbabwe needing 21 in the worst possible way, conceding a six and a boundary off a no-ball off the first two deliveries. He bowled two dot balls, but gave away another boundary off the penultimate delivery. With four required off the last ball, Elton Chigumbura could only manage to hole out to Bumrah, to give India a tense three-run win and with it the series 2-1.