Okay, folks! That is it from the first T20I between India and Zimbabwe. India go 1-0 up in the three-match series, with the next game set to be played on Saturday at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. Do join us for that contest. For now, it's goodbye!

"Not up to the standards. In the morning, moisture played a part but I didn't expect it to play a part for that long. In the last eight overs and when India came out to bat, the wicket was very true. We had thrown a couple of batters to a new role and they did well. So yeah, there were some positives," said Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza after the loss.

On winning his first game as India's T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer said, "I think the boys were tremendous. Couldn't have been happier with my first win. There was bounce from good length and it was also variable. I felt it was there in both innings. The start Mayank gave was great. We are going to play two more matches here, so today's performance gives everyone some confidence. I think Vaibhav has played here - he got 175 in the U-19 World Cup final - so he knows the conditions."

India pacer Mayank Yadav has been named the Player of the Match for bowling figures for 2 for 18 in four overs.

After the game, he said, "It always feels great when you contribute in a win. So it was a very special moment for me. The wicket was very good. After playing in India, I was enjoying bowling here. It's my first time here in Zimbabwe. The bounce I got and the seam movement was great help for me. We got a good start from the very first ball and the way they (Prince and Ashok) were squeezing from their end was really good.

India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl first. Mayank Yadav struck on the very first ball, and India never looked back. He and Prince Yadav picked up two wickets each as the visitors restricted Zimbabwe to a paltry 125/7. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi then all but sealed the chase with his sensational 19-ball fifty. Further, thanks to a solid 46-run stand between Iyer and Ishan Kishan, India reached home in 13.2 overs.

After seven games and six defeats, Shreyas Iyer finally registers his first win as India's T20I captain. It has been an extremely tough start for him as India skipper, but he must be relieved now, with the monkey finally off his back.

There is the victory for India! They win this game by 7 wickets. The chasing team reaches home in 13.2 overs while chasing a 126-run target. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi turns out to be the top-scorer with 50 off 19 balls. India go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

OUT! Ishan Kishan departs! He pushes the ball off Blessing Muzarabani from the sticker of his bat to the fielder at extra cover. The southpaw falls for 35 off 24 balls. India are three down. They need just 12 runs to win the game.

Ishan Kishan c Dion Myers b Blessing Muzarabani 35(24) [4s-3 6s-2]

IND 114-3 (11.3)

Newman Nyamhuri bowls it on a good length, and Ishan Kishan pulls it away for a six over long leg. India need 14 runs in 54 balls. It is a mere formality from here.

IND 112-2 (11)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also broke Sachin Tendulkar's record for the youngest player to score a maiden international fifty! While the southpaw achieved the feat at the age of 15 years and 118 days, Sachin held the previous record at 16 years and 213 days, having scored a fifty against Pakistan in a Test match in Faisalabad in 1989.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slams his fifty in just 18 balls and loses his wicket off the very next delivery! He top-edges a Richard Ngarava delivery straight into the hands of the fielder at third man. India are two down.

At the age of 15 years and 118 days, Vaibhav becomes the youngest player to score a T20I fifty.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi c Ben Curran b Richard Ngarava 50(19) [4s-4 6s-4]

IND 68-2 (6.2)

Ishan Kishan plays the final over of Powerplay and slams Newman Nyamhuri for three fours in it. A total of fourteen runs come off it. India end the Powerplay on a high.

IND 66-1 (6)

4, 2, 6, 4 - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continues to attack the Zimbabwe bowlers! This time, he smashes Blessing Muzarabani for two fours and a six. The southpaw moves to 48 off just 17 deliveries.

IND 52-1 (5)

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi slams a four and a six off the first two deliveries of the fourth over bowled by Brad Evans. He drills the first one down the ground before getting under the ball and hitting it over long leg for a biggie. The southpaw moves to 32 off 13 balls.

IND 35-1 (4)

OUT! Abhishek Sharma departs cheaply! He tries to go for a big one but ends up slicing the ball to the fielder at third man. Blessing Muzarabani draws first blood for his team. India are one down.

Abhishek Sharma c Brad Evans b Blessing Muzarabani 1(8)

IND 23-1 (2.5)

6, 4, 6 - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi announces his arrival with a flurry of boundaries! The southpaw hits a massive six over deep square leg before smashing a four through the covers. Sooryavanshi then plays a terrific shot on the rise over long-off for another maximum.

IND 22-0 (2)

Blessing Muzarabani bowls the first over brilliantly to Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The experienced pacer concedes only two runs. Richard Ngarava will bowl the second over. Here we go.

IND 2-0 (1)

Blessing Muzarabani begins with a short-of-a-length ball on the line of the stumps, and Abhishek Sharma defends it. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is at the other end.

Eight runs and two wickets come off the final over bowled by Prince Yadav. Zimbabwe set a target of 126 runs for India. Wessly Madhevere turns out to be the top scorer for the hosts with 39 off 34 balls. For India, Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav picked up two wickets each.

ZIM 125-7 (20)

19.3 - Another wicket in the final over of Prince Yadav! Brad Evans gets caught at mid-off. He tries to got a big shot but ends up losing his wicket. Zimbabwe have three balls remaining in the innings.

Zimbabwe are six down! Madhevere has been run out! He gets an inside edge on Prince Yadav's delivery and tries to steal a couple. Shivam Dube picks up the ball and directs a throw at the striker's end. Ishan Kishan collects it and finds Madhevere well short of his crease.

Madhevere run out (Shivam Dube/Ishan Kishan) 39(34) [4s-3 6s-1]

ZIM 122-6 (19.2)

On the fourth ball of the over, Mayank Yadav beat Tadiwanashe Marumani with a short-of-a-length delivery angling away from the batter. Wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan appealed for a caught behind, but the umpire was unconvinced. India sent it upstairs only to lose a review.

ZIM 117-5 (19)

This is a good shot from Tadiwanashe Marumani for a SIX! He waits for the ball and smashes it over deep mid-wicket for a biggie. Zimbabwe are getting some boundaries in the slog overs.

ZIM 108-5 (17.4)

4, 4 - Smart batting from Wessly Madhevere! He waits for the ball on the back foot and then plays an upper cut off the bowling of Ashok Sharma for a four through the third-man region. Ashok follows it with a short-of-a-length delivery, and Madhevere cuts it fine through the slips for another boundary. Eleven runs come off the over.

ZIM 89-5 (16)

A much-needed boundary for Zimbabwe! This is a good sweep shot from Tadiwanashe Marumani for four! Ravi Bishnoi bowls a googly outside the leg stump. Marumani goes across and plays the ball superbly through backward square leg.

ZIM 72-5 (14)

OUT! Ryan Burl departs! Ravi Bishnoi gets the reward for his disciplined bowling. He bowls a googly to Burl, and the batter ends up finding the long-off fielder. The 32-run partnership is broken.

Ryan Burl c Tilak Varma b Ravi Bishnoi 26(35)

ZIM 64-5 (13.1)

Ravi Bishnoi continues to be economical. He concedes only three runs in his second over. Ryan Burl and Wessly Madhevere have helped Zimbabwe make a bit of a recovery with a 27-run partnership, but they need to do much more together to give their side something on the board.

ZIM 59-4 (12)

Mayank Yadav has joined the likes of Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh in an elite list. Mayank has become just the third Indian bowler to claim a wicket on the first ball of a T20I innings twice. Bhuvneshwar Kumar tops the list, having achieved the feat three times.

ZIM 46-4 (10)

Another good over from Ashok Sharma. He concedes only three singles in it. The pacer continues to wait for his maiden international wicket. He has one over remaining in his spell. India introduce spin, with Ravi Bishnoi set to bowl the next over.

ZIM 40-4 (9)

Sikandar Raza is GONE! This is a huge blow for Zimbabwe as their captain departs. Shivam Dube bowls a short ball and finds the fielder at deep square leg. Zimbabwe are four down.

Sikandar Raza c (sub)Suryansh Shedge b Shivam Dube 4(7) [4s-1]

ZIM 32-4 (7.2)

Debutant Ashok Sharma, who leaked 10 runs in his first over, improves this time to keep it an economical over. He concedes only five runs in it while also rattling Ryan Burl's helmet with a fiery short ball.

ZIM 31-3 (7)

Sikandar Raza slams a crucial boundary for Zimbabwe. Prince Yadav bowls it a tad fuller outside off and the Zimbabwe captain drives it uppishly but finds the gap between the mid-off and cover fielders for four. That ends the Powerplay.

ZIM 26-3 (6)

OUT! Mayank Yadav gets his second wicket! He continues to trouble the Zimbabwe batters with his extra pace. This time, Mayank bowls a good-length delivery and Dion Myers finds Shivam Dube at mid-on. Zimbabwe are three down. They are in some serious trouble here.

Dion Myers c Shivam Dube b Mayank Yadav 6(14) [4s-1]

ZIM 20-3 (4.2)

Prince Yadav gets into the attack and he strikes on the very first ball of his spell! Ben Curran tries to pull the ball but ends up mistiming it to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at mid-wicket. The 15-year-old fielder goes to his left and completes the catch with a slide. Zimbabwe are two down.

ZIM 19-2 (3.2)

2.2 - Abhishek Sharma gets injured! He drops a catch at point and gets hurt in the process. The drop doesn't matter as Mayank Yadav oversteps this time. However, the injury seems serious, as Abhishek is going off with the physio.

Not a good start from Ashok Sharma as he leaks 10 runs in his first over in international cricket. The debutant pacer gets hit for two consecutive boundaries by Ben Curran.

ZIM 16-1 (2)

Mayank Yadav was simply unplayable for Dion Myers in the first over. The number three batter found it really hard to play Mayank's pace. Six runs and a wicket came off the over.

ZIM 6-1 (1)

Mayank Yadav begins with a peach of a delivery! There is a huge appeal for caught behind. The umpire is unconvinced, and India go upstairs on the very first ball.

Brilliant review from India! They get the decision reversed to OUT as UltraEdge confirms that Brian Bennett edged the ball.

Brian Bennett c Ishan Kishan b Mayank Yadav 0(1)

Pacer Ashok Sharma has been handed his India debut. He impressed with his pace and control during IPL 2026 while playing for Gujarat Titans.He bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2026 — 154.2 kmph to Dhruv Jurel against Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

"We are going to bowl first. This is my first time here, so I don't know how the wicket is going to play. But looking at the practice wickets and the wickets on the side, there was a decent amount of bounce. So definitely, that's one of the aspects," said India captain Shreyas Iyer after winning the toss.

"I don't know how it's going to play, but we're anticipating some bounce. We're going with three seamers and one spinner," he added.

Talking about opponents Zimbabwe, Iyer said, "Absolutely, they've been playing brilliantly for the last couple of years, especially at the World Cup. The way they played was pleasing to the eye. The batsmen and the bowlers executed their strengths. It was amazing."

India (Playing XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav.

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.

India captain Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and opted to bowl first against Zimbabwe in the first T20I of the three-match series in Harare. Stay connected as we bring you the playing XIs of both sides and the comments from their respective captains.

Zimbabwe batter Milton Shumba has been ruled out of the three-match T20I series against India after sustaining a right hamstring injury. Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed the report just hours before the start of the first T20I.

"Scans conducted on Tuesday confirmed the extent of the injury, ruling the 25-year-old left-hander out of the series. In his place, the selectors have called up Innocent Kaia, who has joined the squad ahead of the series opener," said the Board in a release.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer(c), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Prabhsimran Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Wessly Madhevere, Innocent Kaia, Richard Ngarava, Tanaka Chivanga, Blessing Muzarabani, Ben Curran, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Newman Nyamhuri.

All eyes will also be on finisher Rinku Singh, who returns to the setup following a surge in form in the second half of IPL 2026, especially with India requiring muscle power in the struggling middle order. Additionally, the series provides a platform for India's largely untested pacers – Mayank Yadav, Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur, to step up.

Shreyas Iyer praised the Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe team, saying they have a strong lineup with several experienced players, including those who have featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He added that India are focused on adapting quickly and securing a series win.

"I feel that they have an amazing team, an amazing lineup. And a couple of them also played in the IPL, so they carry immense experience and it is going to be a great series. Everyone wants to perform at the end of the day and see to it that their team wins. And that's the reason we are here, to win," Iyer said.
 

"First and foremost, excited to be here. This is my first time in Zimbabwe and Harare. The weather looks beautiful, the people look happy. So, looking forward to an exciting series over here. And then, yes, definitely we had a rough patch in England but lots of positives out of that. We got to know what we have to build as a team going forward, what kind of presence of mind, awareness, and adaptability we need once we step onto the field. Again, this is going to be a great challenge for us. Some of us are playing for the first time, so the quicker we adapt, the better result we would be getting," Shreyas Iyer said at the pre-match press conference.

For this tour, India will have a stop-gap head coach in VVS Laxman, whose personality if diametrically opposite to the combative regular gaffer Gautam Gambhir. It is not that Laxman wouldn't want to win the series but his propensity to experiment with playing eleven is far less compared to Gambhir.

Shreyas Iyer would be eager for his first win as India captain while his young team eyes course correction against a spunky Zimbabwe that is expected to fight hard during the short three-match T20I series. Having lost six out of his first seven T20I games as skipper in series defeats to minnows Ireland and a seasoned England side, the rubber against Zimbabwe gives Iyer and company a chance to get the house in order.

For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this is the ground where earlier this year, on February 6, he hammered a hapless England U-19s with a big hundred in the junior World Cup final. But this series will have a different context. It was supposed to be an opportunity to experiment for a new-look bowling attack, but has turned into a must-win affair due to recent debacles.
 

The three-match series also offers young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a prime opportunity to cement his place at the top of the order in the absence of Sanju Samson. Returning to the venue of his blistering U-19 World Cup final heroics, the teenaged Sooryavanshi will look to bounce back from a modest debut tour of England, where he was troubled by short balls.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the first T20I of the three-match series between India and Zimbabwe, straight from the Harare Sports Club, Harare. Stay tuned for all the live updates.