Harare, July 25, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Brilliant half-centuries from Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma guided India to a commanding total of 219/5 in 20 overs against Zimbabwe in the second T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
Asked to bat first, India recovered from early setbacks through a superb 94-run fourth-wicket partnership between Kishan and Varma. Wicketkeeper-batter Kishan top-scored with a fluent 81 off 44 balls, striking nine fours and two sixes, while vice-captain Varma remained unbeaten on 60 from just 29 deliveries to provide a powerful finish.
India made a brisk start before opener Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for 8 by Blessing Muzarabani in the second over. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi briefly counter-attacked with 20, featuring a six and three boundaries, before Richard Ngarava dismissed him.
Captain Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings with 25, adding 42 runs with Kishan before falling to Brian Bennett. Kishan then dominated the Zimbabwe attack, reaching his half-century in 33 balls and accelerating the scoring alongside Varma.
After Kishan’s dismissal in the 18th over, Varma took charge, bringing up his fifty in just 23 deliveries. Rinku Singh chipped in with a quick 12 before being dismissed, while Shivam Dube struck a boundary off the penultimate ball of the innings to take India beyond the 210-run mark.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers endured a difficult outing, with none managing an economy rate below eight runs per over.
Brief Scores: India 219/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 81, Tilak Varma 60*; Brian Bennett 1/22, Newman Nyamhuri 1/25).
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