A tense finish
Sran holds nerve in final over as India defend modest 138 to clinch T20 series against Zimbabwe 2-1.
Kedar Jadhav blasted his highest score in Twenty20 internationals as India beat Zimbabwe by three runs in a tense finish to claim the three-match series 2-1at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bowl first, restricting the tourists to 138 for six in their 20 overs on a slow wicket as Jadhav topscored with 58 from 42 balls. But the hosts battled to keep up with the scoring rate and went into the final over of the match, bowled by Barinder Sran (2-31), needing 21for victory.
It was the first time on India's six-match limited overs tour that they batted first and, after starts for Lokesh Rahul (22) and Ambati Rayudu (20), Jadhav provided the impetus the innings desperately needed as he blazed seven fours and a six.
India's opening bowlers restricted the run-rate well as Zimbabwe reached 59-2 at the halfway mark of their innings, with Sran going for just 14 in his first three overs and Dhawal Kulkarni ending with figures of 2-23 in his allotted four.
Vusi Sibanda (28 from 23 balls) top scored for the hosts as sevral batsmen made starts but could not match Jadhav's half-century heroics.
Dhoni equals Ponting
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni equalled Australian great Ricky Ponting's record of leading the side in 324 international matches across all formats. Dhoni achieved the milestone during the third and final Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
India won the series 2-1, days after 3-0 whitewash of the hosts in ODIs. Dhoni, who was appointed captain in 2007, has led India in 60 Tests, 194 ODIs and 70 T20 Internationals.
The 34-year-old is also India's most successful captain ever, having overseen 27 Test match victories, 107 ODI wins and 40 T20 successes.
During his nine-year tenure, Dhoni has guided India to title triumphs in the World T20 (2007), the World Cup (2011) and the Champions Trophy (2013) besides leading the side to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
Now leading India in ODIs and T20s, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman had retired from Test cricket in 2014.
Brief Scores
India 138/6 in 20 overs (Jadhav 58; Tiripano 3/20) bt Zimbabwe 135/6 in 20 overs (Sibanda 28; Kulkarni 2/23, Sran 2/31) by 3 runs. Agencies
Kedar Jadhav blasted his highest score in Twenty20 internationals as India beat Zimbabwe by three runs in a tense finish to claim the three-match series 2-1at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bowl first, restricting the tourists to 138 for six in their 20 overs on a slow wicket as Jadhav topscored with 58 from 42 balls. But the hosts battled to keep up with the scoring rate and went into the final over of the match, bowled by Barinder Sran (2-31), needing 21for victory.
When the first two balls of the over went for 12 runs a sensational victory looked on the cards, but Sran came back well and bowled Elton Chigumbura (16) off the last delivery of the innings to leave Zimbabwe agonisingly short of a series victory.
It was the first time on India's six-match limited overs tour that they batted first and, after starts for Lokesh Rahul (22) and Ambati Rayudu (20), Jadhav provided the impetus the innings desperately needed as he blazed seven fours and a six.
India's opening bowlers restricted the run-rate well as Zimbabwe reached 59-2 at the halfway mark of their innings, with Sran going for just 14 in his first three overs and Dhawal Kulkarni ending with figures of 2-23 in his allotted four.
Vusi Sibanda (28 from 23 balls) top scored for the hosts as sevral batsmen made starts but could not match Jadhav's half-century heroics.
Dhoni equals Ponting
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni equalled Australian great Ricky Ponting's record of leading the side in 324 international matches across all formats. Dhoni achieved the milestone during the third and final Twenty20 International against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
India won the series 2-1, days after 3-0 whitewash of the hosts in ODIs. Dhoni, who was appointed captain in 2007, has led India in 60 Tests, 194 ODIs and 70 T20 Internationals.
The 34-year-old is also India's most successful captain ever, having overseen 27 Test match victories, 107 ODI wins and 40 T20 successes.
During his nine-year tenure, Dhoni has guided India to title triumphs in the World T20 (2007), the World Cup (2011) and the Champions Trophy (2013) besides leading the side to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
Now leading India in ODIs and T20s, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman had retired from Test cricket in 2014.
Brief Scores
India 138/6 in 20 overs (Jadhav 58; Tiripano 3/20) bt Zimbabwe 135/6 in 20 overs (Sibanda 28; Kulkarni 2/23, Sran 2/31) by 3 runs. Agencies
