3rd T20I: India hold nerves to pocket series 2-1

NEW DELHI: A second string India signed off their Zimbabwe sojourn with a nerve-racking finish, winning the third and final T20I at the Harare Sports Club by three runs to return home with a 2-1 series win on Wednesday.
Chasing 139, Zimbabwe needed 21 to win in the final over for a possible historic series win. Barinder Sran was entrusted with defending those runs and by the time he was done with his five deliveries, Zimbabwe had wiped off 17 of the deficit.It all boiled down to the final delivery of the match and the tour. Elton Chigumbura who had struck a quickfire half-century in the first T20I, was on strike and had already recorded two fours against his name. Nerves were getting the better of Sran as a waist-high no-ball and a wide indicated, after Timycen Maruma launched his first delivery high over the midwicket fence for a six.
Sran's final delivery ended up being a low full toss and Chigumbura only managed to launch it to the fielder at extra cover to be caught for 16 as India finished ahead in a seesaw battle with Zimbabwe ending on 135/6.
Unlike India, Zimbabwe got off to a much better start although they looked destined onto a similar path as their opponents after their opening pair struck a four each and then lost a wicket in Chamu Chibhabha (5), out while going over the infield off Sran. But Vusi Sibanda, who missed the first two T20Is due to injury, eased his side into the chase with three consecutive fours off Dhawal Kulkarni and by the end of Powerplay overs, they were 40/1, much healthier than India's 29/3 at the same stage.
Dhoni would have hoped his spinners would take control after the fielding restrictions were lifted as he introduced Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal. The move paid off when Masakadza was beaten by Axar to be trapped in front for 15 in the ninth over. Sensing an opportunity, Dhoni brought back Kulkarni who was taken for 18 in his first two overs. Sibanda, looking to run away with the match with his free flowing strokes, was undone by a slower one that hit him flush on the pad, putting an end to his 28-run knock. Peter Moor struggled initially but then punished Chahal for dropping too short - unleashing powerful shots - two in one over for sixes, to keep Zimbabwe in the hunt.
Perturbed by the treatment meted out to his erratic lengths, Chahal went full but Moor drove it over covers for his third six. "Nai, Nai (no, no)" yelled a dejected Dhoni and Moor again went aerial off the next but this time holed out to Mandeep giving Chahal some consolation.
After the end of 18 overs, Zimbabwe were five wickets down and still needed 32 from 18 balls. Maruma then kept Zimbabwe alive till the final ball.
On a difficult wicket, Kedar Jadhav held his ground, surviving few anxious moments to score a scratchy but fighting half-century as India posted 138/6, recovering from 27/3 at one stage. Before holing out for 58, Jadhav survived three chances but capitalized on them for his maiden T20I fifty helping his side to a total which eventually proved enough.
For the first time on the tour, an unchanged India finally got a chance to bat first after Graeme Cremer, who rung in three changes, sent them in. Opener KL Rahul exploded with three cracking shots for two fours and a six off Tendai Chatara in the third over after a watchful start. That was a short-lived high as three quick dismissals in the space of 10 deliveries rapidly turned the tide in the home team's favour.
Mandeep Singh (4), aiming to match Rahul's lofted six in the previous over, ended up being brilliantly caught by Timcyen Maruma as he backpedalled and tumbled but managed to hold on to the ball. Then Rahul pierced a packed offside for his third four in the next over but then dragged back the next one from Neville Madviza onto his stumps to throw away a promising start at 22. Manish Pandey was undone by a combination of his eagerness to get off the mark and a sharp handiwork from Elton Chigumbura that saw the former being run out for a first-ball duck off the next.
The Indians were in a spot and Zimbabwe tightened the screws further, not allowing easy runs. The pair of Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav had a job at hand – to arrest the slide and rebuild. And that they adopted a wait and watch approach as the innings moved ahead at snail's pace wasn't by design but by some tight bowling from the Zimbabweans.
There were three moments which could have ended Jadhav's knock early. The first was when he nervously pushed at a delivery that took an edge and went wide of the gully as he opened his account, the next a top-edge for four and the third the brightest for the Zimbabweans came in the 10th over when his slap through covers crashed through Hamilton Masakadza's hands giving him a reprieve at 16. He survived early on but then gathered his wits to put India on course. The crescendo of his knock came in the 18th over, bowled by Chatara in which he scored 15 runs on way to his fifty.
At the halfway stage, the score was 53/3 and with seven wickets remaining, the release seemed right on the horizon. But Rayudu's push to accelerate the scoring rate came a cropper as Cremer had him caught at long-on for 20 and later on, Dhoni too fell cheaply. But a set Jadhav and Axar Patel, who scored 14 of the 16 runs from the final over, ensured a winning target.
Brief scores: India 138/6 (Kedar Jadhav 58; Donald Tiripano 3/20) vs Zimbabwe 135/6 (Vusi Sibanda 28, Peter Moor 26; Dhawal Kulkanri 2/23, Barinder Sran 2/31)