Zimbabwe vs India – First T20I game at Harare on 12.06.10 : India won by six wickets

This is the first bilateral series played between Zimbabwe and India comprising of two T20I games and today game is the first T20I game between the two countries

India capped three cricketers viz., NV Ojha, V Kohli and R Ashwin for this game. The number of Indian cricketers who have made their T20I debut stands at 32 at the end of this game. NV Ojha and V Kohli and R Ashwin are the first three Indian cricketers to make their T20I debut against Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe capped EC Rainsford for this game. He became the 26^th cricketer to represent Zimbabwe in T20I games. He is the first Zimbabwe cricketer to make his debut against India

Apart from the first T20I game in which eleven cricketers made their T20I debut, there are two more occasions in which India has capped three or more cricketers. The occasions are against Scotland at Durban on 13.04.07 {Yuvraj Singh, G Gambhir, RV Uthappa and RP Singh} and against Zimbabwe at Harare on 12.06.10 {NV Ojha, R Ashwin and V Kohli}

SK Raina became the third captain to lead India in T20I games. The others are V Sehwag {01 game} and MS Dhoni {24 games}

SK Raina became the tenth captain to lead a team against Zimbabwe in T20I. Others are – Shariar Nafeez of Bangaldesh, RT Ponting of Australia, PD Collngwood of England, DPMD Jayawardene of Sri Lanka, S Dhaniram of Canada, Shoaib Malik of Pakistan, D Ramdin of West Indies, KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, DL Vettori of New Zealand and SK Raina of India

NV Ojha became the second wicket keeper to represent India in T20I games, after MS Dhoni {25 games}

R Vinay Kumar captured 3 for 24 in this game providing the eleventh occasion of an Indian bowler capturing three or more wickets in a T20I. His 3 for 24 in this game represents his best bowling figures of his career and an improvement over his debut figures of 2 for 30 against Sri Lanka at Gros Islet on 11.05.10

GA Lamb colleted his first ball duck in this game providing the 116^th occasion of a batsman suffering such ignominy in the history of T20I. His first ball duck in this game provides the seventh occasion of a Zimbabwe batsman collecting the first ball duck in T20I – C Zhuwawo vs Canada at King City {MW} on 11.10.08, S Matsikenyeri vs Pakistan at King City {NW} on 12,10,08, V Sibanda vs West Indies at Port of Spain on 28.02.10, P Utseya vs West Indies at Port of Spain on 28.02.10, AC Cremer vs New Zealand at Providence on 04.05.10, P Uteseya vs New Zealand at Providence on 04.05.10 and GA Lamb vs India at Harare on 12.06.10. GA Lamb became the first Zimbabwe batsman to collect the first ball duck against India

At the end of this game CJ Chibhabha had an aggregate of 140 runs in T20I which gives him the second position amongst the most run getters from Zimbabwe. The complete list of Zimbabwe batsmen who have an aggregate of 100 plus runs are – H Masakadza {327}, CJ Chibabha {140}, BRM Taylor {138}, T Taibu {128} and E Chigumbara {120}

Zimbabwe with 111 for 9 in this game became the second team to tatal a Nelson in T20I. England is the other team to score 111 in 19.5 overs against South Africa at Nottingham on 11,06.09

YK Pathan’s run aggregate at the end of this game stood at 201 and he became the seventh Indian batsman to total 200 plus runs in T20I games. Others are – G Gambhir {621}, Yuvraj Singh {555}, MS Dhoni {441}, SK Raina {396}, RG Sharma {335} and V Sehwag {313}

YK Pathan’s 37 not out represent his highest individual score in T20I. His previous best was 33 not out vs England at Lord’s on 14.06.09

SK Raina hit a boundary six in this game to take his aggregate of boundary sixes to 16. He stands second in the list of Indian batsmen who have hit most sixes. Yuvraj Singh with 38 sixes to his credit occupies the first place

YK Pathan hit three boundary sixes in this game which gave him an aggregate of 15 boundary sixes in T20I. He is the third Indian batsman to score 15 or more sixes in T20I. Others are – Yuvraj Singh {38} and SK Raina {16}.

V Kohli and YK Pathan added 64 runs in an unfinished stand for the fifth wicket providing the 23^rd occasion of Indian batsmen posting a fifty plus runs partnership in T20I. This stand represent the third occasion of Indian batsmen posting a fifty plus runs partnership for the fifth wicket in T20I. The other two occasions are – 85 runs stand between MS Dhoni and RG Sharma vs South Africa at Durban on 20.09.07 and 64 runs stand between Yuvraj Singh and YK Pathan vs West Indies at Lord’s o 12.06.09

It is a statistical coincidence that India added 64 runs for the fifth wicket on 12.06.09 and on 12.06.10. Exactly a year prior to this day, on 12.06.09, India and West Indies were engaged in a T20I game at Lord’s in the second edition of ICC WT20. In that game Yuvraj Singh and YK Pathan added 64 runs for the fifth wicket. Exactly a year after Lord’s game, that is on 12.06.10, India and Zimbabwe were playing a T20I game at Harare in which V Kohli and YK Pathan were concerned in a 64 runs unfinished stand for the fifth wicket.

India’s win by six wickets in this game provide its 13^th T20I win and its first against Zimbabwe. India has won this game with 30 balls to spare. This is India’s second win with 30 plus balls to spare. The other win was against Afghanistan at Gros Islet on 01.05.10 by seven wickets with 31 balls to spare

The performances of the Indian debutants read thus – NV Ojha scored 2 runs, V Kohli scored 26 not out, R Ashwin did not bat and returned with figures of 1 for 22. EC Rainsford, the Zimbabwe debutants scored 1 not out and returned with figures of none for 25

T Taibu effected his fifth stumping dismissal when he dismissed RG Sharma of RW Price for 10. He became the fifth wicket keeper to effect five or more stumping dismissals in T20I. Other four are Kamran Akmal of Pakistan {25}, NJ O’Brien of Ireland {08}, KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka {08} and Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh {07}