India won the toss and chose to bat first against Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I of the three-match series on Sunday at Harare Sports Club. The hosts trail 0-2 and aim to avoid a clean sweep.
India's Batting Decision and Team Changes
India captain Shreyas Iyer said the decision was based on expecting the pitch to slow down as the match progressed. “We're going to bat first considering that we are playing on the same wicket and anticipating for it to get slower and slower,” Iyer said at the toss. He also confirmed two changes to the playing XI: Ashok Sharma replaced Prince Yadav, and Suryansh Shedge came in for Shivam Dube.
Iyer expressed satisfaction with the team's performance in the previous match, where they posted 220. “Certainly, we got 220 on the board and we got a phenomenal start the way boys played. It's just, you know, coming today in the morning and reflecting back on those performances give me thrills and obviously want to replicate the same performance again,” he added.
Zimbabwe's Forced Change and Captain's Outlook
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said his side would have also preferred to bat first, though not due to pitch concerns. “We know scores have remained pretty good throughout, but we just wanted to bat first today,” Raza said. He acknowledged the team's efforts and took responsibility: “All I said today was that you all are doing really well. I think with the team lapses, it's slightly more runs needed from the captain. So you guys are all doing a really good job. Now it's on me to try and rock up as well as a captain.”
Raza confirmed a forced change: Richard Ngarava was ruled out with a minor niggle, and Wellington Masakadza replaced him.
Playing XIs
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Mayank Yadav, Ashok Sharma
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani
India enter the match with momentum after back-to-back wins. A clean sweep would extend their dominance in T20Is against Zimbabwe, while the hosts look to salvage pride in front of their home crowd.
