Zimbabwe restrict India to 138/6 in 3rd T20I at Harare

Zimbabwe will now have to chase down 139 to win the 3rd T20 and the series as well, against India.

India set a target of 139 runs in 20 overs against Zimbabwe in the 3rd T20I. A magnificent spell of bowling from the hosts had put India on the back foot. Tendai Chatara, Donald Tiripano and Neville Madziva put in a splendid bowling performance for Zimbabwe on a pitch that looks difficult to bat on. They removed the pace of the ball well too. Kedar Jadhav was the top scorer for India as he scored 58 off 42 balls. He hit 7 fours and 1 huge six in his innings. Zimbabwe restricted India to 138-6 after Akshar Patel managed 16 runs from the last over of the innings. Zimbabwe will now need 139 runs to win the match as well the T20 series. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD:India  vs  Zimbabwe , Live Score, 3rd T20I Match at Harare

Zimbabwe were excellent in the field. Whether it was their catching or ground fielding, they raised their game by one level. The energy and the noise was for all to watch. Their fans too backed the team as they dived around everywhere. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: India vs Zimbabwe 2016, Live Cricket Score, 3rd T20I at Harare

India were off to a slow start and they opened their scoring only in the 2nd over. KL Rahul was starting to look good. But India lost their first wicket as Mandeep Singh was caught superbly by Maruma off the bowling of Tiripano. Rayudu then came out to bat. Rahul was looking good on the other end but was unlucky as he played one back on to his stumps and was out for 22. Things turned worse for India when Manish Pandey was run-out off the first ball that he played. India were  27-3 at that moment.

Rayudu and Jadhav then took the ship forward as they took time to understand the conditions. Rayudu couldn’t capitalize though. He was out soon. MS Dhoni joined Jadhav the crease who was carrying on nicely. Dhoni though couldn’t change India’s batting fortunes as he played one on himself. He was out for just 9 off the bowling of Tiripano.

Earlier Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer, won the toss and chose to bowl first. India did not make any changes to the squad that they played in the last T20 match. The 3-match T20 series is currently level at 1-1. India are looking to seal this series and add to the 3-0 ODI series win.

Brief Scores:

India 138 for 6 in 20 Overs (Kedar Jadhav 58, KL Rahul 22 ; Donald Tiripano 3 for 20, Neville Madziva  1 for 32) vs Zimbabwe

FULL CRICKET SCORECARD:India  vs  Zimbabwe , Live Score, 3rd T20I Match at Harare

(Karan Dewan, a reporter with CricketCountry, loves following and playing sports. He is a Team India fan and loves winning. Follow him on his twitter handle @karan13dewan)