Shreyas Iyer felt “exultant” as India romped home comfortably in the IND vs ZIM 2nd T20I to seal the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead.
With this, Iyer went off the mark to win his maiden T20I series as India’s captain after losing 2-0 in Ireland and 4-0 in England, having been handed the captaincy after Suryakumar Yadav was sacked despite propelling India to the T20 World Cup trophy in March.
Iyer had come under criticism as India lost six out of six completed T20Is on the tour of the UK; he’d feel relieved with some pressure off his back with this series victory in Harare.
Iyer was pleased with the dominating way India have clinched this series. In the 1st T20I, India restricted Zimbabwe to only 125 through Mayank Yadav’s 2/15 before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 18-ball half-century effectively sealed the match in the powerplay.
In the 2nd T20I on Saturday, the Indian openers fell cheaply, but Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma, two batters who had underperformed in the UK, blazed half-centuries. Kishan blasted 81 off 44, and Varma plundered 60* off 29 as India posted a giant total of 219. The hosts, in the chase, were bowled out for 129, losing by a whopping 90 runs, which is now Zimbabwe’s fourth-biggest defeat in terms of runs in T20Is.
Shreyas Iyer Speaks After India’s Win
Speaking in the post-match presentation ceremony, Iyer was elated with the win today and the series as a whole.
Iyer said, “I feel exultant, especially with the way we won today. It was a comprehensive victory and a brilliant contribution from each and every player.”
The skipper hailed the duo of Kishan and Tialk, saying, “I think the way Ishan and Tilak played was outstanding. A few of the shots they played were rakanaka (beautiful), and they were really pleasing to the eye. At the start, I felt anything between 180 and 200 would have been a par score, but we ended up getting 220, which was the icing on the cake. So, yeah, brilliant contributions from both of them.”
Iyer expressed satisfaction with the approach of the Indian batsmen in this series despite the setback in the UK.
“Yes, that’s how you’ve got to approach the game. I feel it’s all about the attitude. Don’t dwell too much on previous performances. Keep moving forward and, more importantly, stay in the present. You’ve got to maximise every opportunity you get,” the Indian captain asserted.
When is the 3rd T20I of the India vs Zimbabwe series?
The IND vs ZIM 3rd T20I will be played on Sunday at 4:30 PM IST.
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