India crushed Zimbabwe by 90 runs in the second T20I at Harare Sports Club on Saturday (July 25) to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Invited to bat first, the visitors racked up a mammoth total of 219/5 on the board. Ishan Kishan stole the slow with a blistering 81 off 44 balls while vice-captain Tilak Varma returned with 60* off 29 balls.
Chasing 220, Zimbabwe got off to a strong start courtesy of Brian Bennett, who slammed 32 off 19 balls with three sixes and as many fours. But the hosts lost wickets in clusters and were eventually bundled out for 129 in 17.5 overs.
Speaking during the post-match presentation, Ishan expressed satisfaction over his performance that helped India seal the series.
The wicketkeeper-batter felt variable bounce made it tough to score easily and 180 seemed like a good target initially.
“Obviously, when you score runs for your team and help them post a good total and finish on the winning side, it's always a great feeling to be in that situation. But, yeah, I'm really happy with the overall team performance. I think we did very well today,” Ishan said after receiving the Player-of-the-Match award.
“To be very honest, I didn't feel this was the kind of wicket where you could just walk in and score 200-plus runs. We felt anything around 180 would be a good total because there was variable bounce on a few deliveries. So we knew partnerships were going to be very important. But as a number three batter, once you're set, you want to make it count and score big runs so that your team gets to a total like the 220 odd we managed today,” he added.
Entering the crease at number 3 after early powerplay wickets, Ishan Kishan emphasized staying in the present, targeting specific bowlers, and keeping his approach simple.
“You don't think about the wickets that have already fallen. The past is past. You just keep watching the ball. You know your strengths, you know where you can score and which bowlers you can target. It's about being smart in the middle. I kept things very simple and just backed myself to play my shots all around the ground,” he stated.
The southpaw commended the energy of India's raw fast bowling talents, specifically mentioning Mayank Yadav, debutant Yash Thakur, and Prince Yadav.
“I'm really happy to see them doing well, especially Mayank Yadav, Yash and everyone else. Prince has played a few matches as well. All of them bring great energy to the field. It's not just about how they're bowling. They've all worked incredibly hard and each of them has a great story behind their success. At the same time, they've contributed brilliantly in the field as well. It's really good to have them around, and the way they're bowling, I think they're going to make a big name for themselves,” he remarked.
Ishan Kishan also addressed a viral, "brain fade" moment behind the stumps where he prematurely assumed a Zimbabwe batter had safely grounded his bat, failing to dislodge the bails for an easy run-out.
“[On his missed run-out chance] I thought the batter was already inside the crease, but my bad. I'll be looking at the bails next time,” he concluded.
