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Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza admitted that his side's fielding and shot selection let them down during their 90-run defeat against India in the second T20I, while praising the visitors for their impressive batting display.
Raza said Zimbabwe bowled well in patches but credited India for the quality of shots and skills they displayed during their innings. "I thought the boys bowled well in patches, but credit to India as well. Some of the shots they played and the skill they showed today were certainly admirable," Raza said during the post-match presentation. The Zimbabwe skipper also acknowledged that his team needs to improve its fielding, saying better support from the fielders could help put additional pressure on the opposition. "We've been saying for some time now that we can be better in the field, and if the fielding department can support the bowlers a bit more, it'll add extra pressure on the opposition. But I don't want to take anything away from the Indian batters. The display they put on today is certainly something we can learn from," he said. Raza also lauded India's Ishan Kishan, who played a crucial knock in the first innings, and said the batter is enjoying a strong run of form at number three. "Ishan has done that quite regularly and consistently. I think he's going through a really good patch and batting very well, especially at number three, which can be a very tricky role. He and Tilak batted really well and, like I said, the skill they have and what they showed us today is something we can learn from. Hopefully, it'll help us improve as well," Raza added. Chasing a daunting target of 220, Zimbabwe made a positive start but eventually folded for 129, losing the match by 90 runs. Raza said his team had always intended to chase the target aggressively but admitted that inexperience and poor shot selection hurt their chances. "We were always going to go for it. If you look at our openers, they gave us exactly the sort of start we needed. Unfortunately, it comes down to inexperience at times and sometimes shot selection, which is where we're letting ourselves down," he said. Raza also took responsibility for his own recent batting struggles, admitting that he needs to contribute more with the bat for the team. "But most importantly, I think I've been letting the team down as captain with my batting. The onus is on me to get it right because the team needs my runs, and unfortunately that hasn't been the case over the last two T20 games. But, Inshallah, I'll do my best to turn it around because the team could really do with my runs," the Zimbabwe skipper said. India secured a comprehensive 90-run victory over Zimbabwe in the second T20I at Harare on Saturday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series and giving captain Shreyas Iyer his first T20I series win. Ishan Kishan's 81 and Tilak Varma's unbeaten 60 powered India to 219/5, while Abhishek Sharma, Yash Thakur and Prince Yadav led a disciplined bowling effort to dismiss Zimbabwe for 129 in 17.5 overs. Brian Bennett top-scored for Zimbabwe with 32, while Yash Thakur claimed his maiden international wicket. India had earlier suffered series defeats against Ireland and England during their UK tour. (ANI)
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