Harare (Zimbabwe): A blistering hundred by Abhishek Sharma and the bowlers' fine effort led India to a fluent 100-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second T20I here on Sunday.
Abhishek's 100 off 47 balls, laced with seven boundaries and as many as eight sixes and one-down Ruturaj Gaikwad's unbeaten 77 off 47 balls, in which he hammered 11 fours and a maximum carried India to an imposing 234 for two. Zimbabwe ended up at 134 all out without much fight. The five-match series is now poised at 1-1. For India, pacers Mukesh Kumar (3/37), Avesh Khan (3/15) and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi (2/11) led the bowling.
Despite Zimbabwe's improved batting effort, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were never in the chase. Wessly Madhevere top-scored with a 39-ball 43, wherein he struck three boundaries and a six. But barring him and Luke Jongwe (33 off 26 balls), no other batter stayed at the crease for a considerable amount of time and failed to build a partnership.
Earlier, Abhishek blended power with grace for a scintillating 46-ball 100 that propelled India to a massive 234 for two against hosts Zimbabwe in a much-improved batting performance in the second T20 International here Sunday.
The total was India's highest against Zimbabwe in T20 Internationals, surpassing the previous best of 186, a fitting comeback after an inexplicable batting collapse in the opening game.
Having endured the disappointment of a four-ball duck on debut, Abhishek, IPL's most prolific six-hitting Indian batter, displayed his talent by clobbering eight sixes and seven fours in his knock. He added 137 runs for the second wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 balls), who was completely overshadowed by the Punjab southpaw.
Abhishek got a reprieve on 27 when Wellington Masakadza dropped a regulation skier off Luke Jongwe. He never looked back after that. Abhishek started his international run account with a pulled six off-spinner Brian Bennett, who had got the better of him on Saturday.
His fifty came off another pulled six behind square off medium pacer Dion Myers, whose 28-run over actually opened the floodgates during the back-10 for the visitors. The shot that was most pleasing to the eye was his inside-out six off rival skipper Sikandar Raza, lofting his off-break with the turn over extra cover boundary.