IND vs ZIM — Could not have been happier with my first win, says Shreyas Iyer

India captain Shreyas Iyer hailed his bowlers for making the most of lively conditions in Harare on Thursday and said the comprehensive victory over Zimbabwe in the opening T20I would give his side the confidence it needs for the remainder of the series.

Electing to bowl, India restricted Zimbabwe to 125 for seven before completing a comfortable chase with 40 balls and seven wickets to spare. Iyer described the performance as a complete team effort despite acknowledging that batting was not entirely straightforward.

“I think the boys were tremendous. Couldn’t have been happier with my first win,” Iyer said after the match.

“There was bounce from good length and it was also variable. I felt it was there in both innings. The start Mayank gave was great.”

Shreyas came here after losing series against Ireland and England. The skipper said the convincing start would serve India well, with two more matches to be played at the same venue.

“We are going to play two more matches here, so today’s performance gives everyone some confidence.” Iyer also backed young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying the teenager’s familiarity with the conditions would be an advantage.

“I think Vaibhav has played here – he got 175 in the U-19 World Cup final – so he knows the conditions.” During the match, India’s 15-year-old batting sensation Sooryavanshi became the youngest player in the world to score a fifty in men’s international cricket, reaching the mark in just 18 balls.

Player of the Match Mayank Yadav (two for 18) said he relished bowling on a surface that offered pace bowlers assistance.

“It always feels great when you contribute in a win. So it was a very special moment for me,” he said.

“The wicket was very good. After playing in India, I was enjoying bowling here. It’s my first time here in Zimbabwe. The bounce I got and the seam movement was great help for me.” The fast bowler also praised his fellow pacers for maintaining pressure from both ends.

“We got a good start from the very first ball and the way Prince [Yadav] and Ashok [Sharma] were squeezing from their end was really good.” Prince (two for 19), who also impressed with the ball, said the bowlers stuck to their plans despite the challenging conditions.

“I am very happy with my performance but more importantly we won the match. There was help from the surface when we bowled good lines and lengths,” he said. “We spoke about bowling good deliveries and if someone plays a good shot then, it’s fine.”

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza admitted his side fell well below expectations, saying the morning moisture had a greater impact than anticipated.

“Not up to the standards. In the morning, moisture played a part but I didn’t expect it to play a part for that long,” Raza said.

“In the last eight overs and when India came out to bat, the wicket was very true.” Raza, however, took positives from the outing, particularly the performances of a few batters who were handed unfamiliar roles. “We had thrown a couple of batters to a new role and they did well. So yeah, there were some positives.”

Published on Jul 23, 2026