India complete 4-1 cricket series win over Zimbabwe
Chasing was something we talked about: Shubman Gill
HARARE: Middle-order batter Sanju Samson struck a brisk 58 from 45 balls and seamer Mukesh Kumar took 4-22 as India defeated Zimbabwe by 42 runs at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday to complete a 4-1 victory in their five-game T20 International series.
After being sent in to bat by their hosts, a youthful India without several regulars posted 167 for six in their 20 overs before restricting Zimbabwe to 125 all out in reply to complete a comfortable win. Samson struck four sixes and was the only one of the visitors’ batters to post a score of significance. Shivam Dube blazed his way to 26 from 12 deliveries before he was run out.
Zimbabwe were still in the chase at 85 for three in the 13th over, but lost four wickets for the addition of 12 runs to lose momentum. Their collapse started with the loss of innings top scorer Dion Myers for 34 from 32 balls. Kumar was the pick of the tourists’ bowlers with career-best figures as he took wickets at the start and end of the Zimbabwe innings, with fellow seamer Shivam Dube taking 2-25 in four overs.
Earlier, Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Shubman Gill thrashed Zimbabwe’s bowlers to all parts of the Harare Sports Club on Saturday to secure a 10-wicket in in the fourth T20 international and with it claim the series.
Chasing Zimbabwe’s 152 for seven, India cruised him with 28 balls to spare to take a 3-1 lead in the five-match series. The left-handed Jaiswal hammered 93 not out off 53 balls and was named player of the match while Gill made 58 not out off 39 deliveries.
“Chasing was something we talked about,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. “We couldn’t do it in the first game so it was good to get it done.” Zimbabwe won the first match by 13 runs last Saturday but India have taken charge since then, dominating the next three matches.
Although captain Sikandar Raza hit 46 off 28 balls, Zimbabwe were unable to capitalize fully on their first good start of the series. Wessly Madhevere (25) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32) put on 63 for the first wicket after Zimbabwe were sent in to bat. But the openers fell in successive overs to part-time bowlers Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube.
India again opted to field only four specialist bowlers, including new cap Tushar Despande, who claimed the wicket of Raza while conceding 30 runs in three overs. Raza said he had thought after his team’s innings that 160 was a par score but admitted: “The way they batted, 180 would not have been enough.”
Jaiswal set the tone in the first over of India’s innings, hitting three boundaries off Richard Ngarava.There was no let-up as India’s fifty was posted inside four overs and the hundred inside 10 overs. Jaiswal hit 13 fours and two sixes, while Gill hit six fours and two sixes.
Brief scores:
India 167-6 in 20 overs (S. Samson 58; B. Muzarabani 2-19).
Zimbabwe 125 in 18.3 overs (D. Myers 34; M. Kumar 4-22, S. Dube 2-25).
Result: India won by 42 runs.
Series: India won the five-match series 4-1. — AFP
EVIAN: Stephanie Kyriacou will take a one-shot lead into the final day of the Evian Championship after advice from her caddie and a four-letter mantra helped her overcome a touch of nerves. The Australian shot a third round, four under par 67 on Saturday on a busy day at the women’s golf major with Kyriacou two shots behind Japan’s Ayaka Furue in a tie for second after the completion of the second round in the morning.
Play on Friday had to be suspended due to dangerous weather conditions. In the afternoon Kyriacou, who only had two holes to complete from the second round, added a 67 to her brace of 66s to go 14 under for the tournament, one shot clear of Furue and Lauren Coughlin of the United States.
Kyriacou, who took a quick nap before setting off on her third round, is chasing her first major title. And she admitted to a touch of nerves during the tournament. “That’s what my caddie is for. Coming down the stretch here, I know it’s Saturday, but you still get nervous. So he kind of just keep my head screwed on and just said like I’m still playing golf. It’s the same as playing a practice round, the same as yesterday. So just trying to keep that perspective.”
She continued: “I think just staying like in the moment and taking it one hole, one shot at a time. I kind of have like a mantra that works for me. I probably shouldn’t say it. “It has swear words in it. Basically if you didn’t give a crap about everything else, how would you play this. Along those lines. Yeah, that kind of gets me through it.”
Coughlin was beaming after her third round 65 featured eagles on the par-five 9th and 18th. Third in the Chevron, another of the tour’s five majors, Coughlin said: “This will be my first final group on a Sunday.
“Yeah, I think everything I’ve been working on