Zimbabwe v India 1st T20I: India Player Ratings

The Indian team finally suffered their first defeat on the tour when they lost in the close encounter in the first T20 of the series. After having thoroughly outplayed the hosts in the ODI series, the Indian T20 outfit put on a lackluster performance as Zimbabwe eked out a 2 run win at Harare. India started off poorly as their pace bowlers, barring Jasprit Bumrah, struggled to trouble the Zimbabwean batsmen. The problems didn’t end just there as the middle overs saw the Zimbabwe batters steal runs with ease.

The batting, though steady throughout the innings, couldn’t pick up the pace at any stage to overhaul the decent target of 170 on a tricky typical Zimbabwe wicket. While some players showed resilience in the middle, others succumbed to the pressure. Here are the India player ratings for the first T20I:

KL Rahul – 2

KL Rahul had a dream debut in the ODIs as he struck a ton on debut and was eventually named the player of the tournament of the ODI series. However, the fairy tale didn’t follow in the T20s for him. He was dismissed on a golden duck on the very first ball of the innings. Some poor footwork saw him lose his wooden work to Donald Tiripano. His dismissal saw India get an early jolt in the innings, following which the middle order was exposed early in the innings.

Also read – I knew I was blessed with certain skills: KL Rahul