Team India beat Zimbabwe by 35 runs in the third T20I at Harare Sports Club on Sunday, July 26. Batting first after winning the toss, the Men in Blue put up 192-5 on the board in their 20 overs. In the chase, Zimbabwe were held to 157-7.
India lost opener Abhishek Sharma for two, but Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (81 off 49) played a dazzling knock, while Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Rinku Singh chipped in with 20s. With the ball, Mayank Yadav picked up three wickets, while Yash Thakur claimed two, though he was a bit expensive.
With the win on Sunday, India also completed a 3-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe. They beat the hosts by seven wickets in the first T20I and 90 runs in the second match. Following the conclusion of the third T20I, let’s take a look at three major takeaways for Team India from the series.
#1 Sooryavanshi announces himself on the big stage
Following a stupendous IPL 2026 campaign for Rajasthan Royals (RR), there was a massive echo over Sooryavanshi being handed his international debut. He was picked for the Ireland and England tour. Amid a sea of euphoria, the 15-year-old made his debut in England. However, the southpaw found the going tough against England’s pacers and was dropped from the playing XI after three failures.
In the wake of his struggles against Jofra Archer and co., there were some concerns over whether Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket. However, he made a huge impact in Zimbabwe and finished as the leading run-getter in the series, with 151 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10. Before his 81 on Sunday, he smacked 50 off 19 balls in the opening T20I of the series.
Unlike the England series, where he looked tentative, Sooryavanshi looked a lot more assured against Zimbabwe. He batted just like he has been doing in the IPL and List A cricket. Critics might argue that Zimbabwe’s bowling is nowhere near the quality of England. Even so, the success in the series was crucial for Sooryavanshi’s confidence. Also, beating Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe is not that easy.
#2 Pacer Mayank Yadav’s stupendous comeback
Apart from Sooryavanshi’s brilliance, fast bowler Mayank Yadav’s international comeback has also been a big positive for the Men in Blue. The right-arm pacer made a return to international cricket after a gap of nearly two years. The 24-year-old suffered multiple injury and fitness setbacks following his international debut in October 2024, keeping him out of action for a prolonged period.
To his credit, Mayank made an excellent comeback to the Indian team despite the long gap. In his return game, he was named Player of the Match for impressive figures of 2-18 from his four overs. After going wicketless in the second T20I against Zimbabwe, he ended the series with 3-29 in the final match. Mayank also bowled with impressive pace to unsettle the batters.
#3 Redemption for Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma
Kishan and Tilak Varma struggled against the rising ball in England. Both struck half-centuries in the fifth T20I in Southampton, but their overall performance in the series left a lot to be desired. As such, both batters had a point to prove in the three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe and answers their critics in fine style.
Kishan smacked 81 off 44 in the second T20I in Harare, while Varma chipped in with an unbeaten 60 off 29 balls in the same match. The duo added a whirlwind 94 for the fourth wicket in 43 balls. Both the batters looked a lot more in control of their stroke play in comparison to their performance in England.
Again, like the case with Sooryavanshi, it can be argued that too much cannot be read into Kishan and Varma’s performance in Zimbabwe. Irrespective of the argument, scoring runs always boosts a batter’s confidence. In that context, Kishan and Varma’s success in the T20Is in Harare was crucial.
Edited by Renin Wilben Albert