India go into the second T20I 1-0 up, having finally handed Shreyas Iyer his first win as captain with a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club.
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a maiden international fifty off just 18 balls to seal the chase, while Mayank Yadav picked up the Player of the Match award with 2 for 18 on his return to the side.
Zimbabwe, who slipped to 125 for 7 after Brian Bennett fell for a first-ball duck, will need a much-improved batting effort when the two sides meet again on Saturday, July 25, at 4:30 PM IST (1:00 PM local).
ZIM vs IND Match Details
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd T20I |
| Series | India tour of Zimbabwe 2026, three-match T20I series. India lead 1-0 after the series opener. |
| Date | Saturday, 25 July 2026 |
| Time | 4:30 PM IST / 1:00 PM local / 11:00 AM GMT |
| Venue | Harare Sports Club, Harare |
| Format | Twenty20, 20 overs per side |
| Captains | Shreyas Iyer (India), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) |
| Form | IND: Won the series opener by 7 wickets, with Sooryavanshi’s 18-ball fifty and Ishan Kishan’s 35 doing the bulk of the chasing work after Mayank and Prince Yadav shared the new ball wickets. Iyer picked up his first win in seven games as full-time captain. ZIM: Slumped to 125 for 7 in the first match after Brian Bennett was dismissed for a golden duck off the very first ball, with Wessly Madhevere (26) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27) the only real resistance. Debutants Ben Curran and Newman Nyamhuri both featured. |
| H2H | India now lead the head-to-head 12-3 from 15 T20Is, including 10 wins from 13 matches played in Zimbabwe. |
Dream11 Team For ZIM vs IND, 2nd T20I
Top Picks for ZIM vs IND, 2nd T20I
| Player | Team | Role | Key Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | IND | Captain / Batter | Captain pick. Maiden international fifty off 18 balls in the series opener. At 2x. |
| Ishan Kishan | IND | VC / WK | Vice-Captain pick. Scored 35 in the chase in the first match. At 1.5x. |
| Mayank Yadav | IND | Bowler | Player of the Match in the series opener with 2 for 18, including a wicket with his very first ball back in international cricket. |
| Sikandar Raza | ZIM | All-Rounder | Zimbabwe’s most experienced and dependable all-round threat, expected to lead the fightback with bat and off-spin. |
| Brian Bennett | ZIM | Batter | A golden duck in the opener is unlikely to define his series, given he scored 97 against this same opposition at the T20 World Cup earlier this year. |
Pitch Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | Harare Sports Club, Harare. Hosting all three T20Is of this series. |
| Pitch Type | Historically a good batting surface, though the series opener played slower and lower than usual, with both sides bowled out or restricted well below the ground’s typical scoring levels. Worth watching whether that was a one-off or a sign the pitch is offering more to the bowlers this series. |
| Scoring | The average first-innings score in T20Is at this ground sits between 154 and 158 across recent history, considerably higher than the 125 and 126 posted in the series opener. No side has ever chased down 200 or more here. |
| Pace vs Spin | Pace bowling dominated the opening match for both sides, with India’s young quicks and Zimbabwe’s Ngarava-Muzarabani new-ball pairing all finding assistance. Spin from Bishnoi, Dube and Raza is likely to play a bigger role through the middle overs if conditions ease. |
| Toss Factor | Teams batting first have generally held the historical edge at this ground, though India’s success chasing in the opener shows the surface can play either way depending on conditions. |
Weather Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Temperature | A cool morning warming to around 22°C (72°F) by the 1:00 PM local start, slightly cooler than the series opener. |
| Sky | Clear and mostly sunny, typical of Harare’s dry winter season. |
| Rain Chance | Low, roughly 10 percent. No weather interruptions are expected. |
| Humidity | Low, consistent with the dry winter conditions across the series. |
| Overall | Good batting and bowling conditions under clear skies, with a full 40 overs likely across the innings. |
ZIM vs IND Toss Prediction
Despite the ground’s historical bias toward batting first, the series opener showed chasing can work well under these conditions, so expect a genuinely open call at the toss this time.
**If Shreyas Iyer (India) wins, **On the back of a winning formula, he may again choose to field first, trusting the pace combination of Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav to make early inroads before backing Sooryavanshi and Kishan to finish any chase.
**If Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) wins, **expect the hosts to bat first this time in search of a much-improved total, trusting Bennett and the top order to make amends for the first match before Muzarabani and Ngarava try to defend it with the new ball.
Injury and Team News
India:
India will take confidence from a comfortable series-opening win, with Shreyas Iyer securing his first win as full-time captain after six defeats in his previous assignments.
Debutant pacer Ashok Sharma impressed alongside Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, and the management may be tempted to stick with an unchanged combination given the result. Zimbabwe:
Zimbabwe will look to bounce back after a below-par batting effort saw them restricted to 125 for 7 in the opener.
Brian Bennett’s first-ball dismissal was a rare blow for a player who scored 97 against this same opposition at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, and he should retain his place. Debutants Ben Curran and Newman Nyamhuri may come under selection pressure after modest returns, though no changes have been officially confirmed. No injury concerns have been reported for the squad ahead of the second match.
