Not Vaibhav Suryavanshi, this 24 year old player got the Player of the Match award

New Delhi. The Indian cricket team defeated Zimbabwe by 7 wickets in the first match of the three-match T20 series. In the match played on Thursday, the Indian team needed 126 runs to win. Team India achieved this target at the loss of 3 wickets in 13.2 overs with the help of Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s explosive half-century. Vaibhav’s bat, who failed to play a big innings while debuting in England, spoke volumes in this match. Vaibhav scored a half-century and became the youngest batsman to score a fifty in an international fifty. Vaibhav played an inning of 50 runs in just 19 balls. Vaibhav Suryavanshi made India’s path to victory easier by scoring a stormy half-century, but despite this he did not get the Player of the Match award. This honor went to 24-year-old fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who broke the back of Zimbabwe’s batting with his speed and accurate bowling.

Why did Mayank become the player of the match?
Actually, Mayank Yadav looked unmatched right from the beginning of the match. He dismissed opener Brian Bennett without opening the account on his very first ball. Taking a wicket on the first ball in T20 cricket puts immediate pressure on the opposition team and Zimbabwe could never recover from that blow. Mayank not only took the initial wicket, but also dismissed Dion Myers for 6 runs in the fourth over. Both his wickets were of Zimbabwe’s top order. After his spell, Zimbabwe’s score was just 20/3. It was from here that India established a strong hold on the competition.

Mayank’s spell decided the course of the match
Bowling with an economy of 4.50 in T20 cricket is no less than a match-winning performance. Especially when the team is returning after a long time. Let us tell you that Mayank came to play his first T20 match in Indian jersey after 2024. Zimbabwe batted the entire 20 overs but could only score 125/7. Due to Mayank’s lethal bowling, the host team could add only 26 runs in the powerplay. If Mayank had not taken wickets in the initial overs, Zimbabwe could have scored a big score.

Vaibhav’s innings was brilliant, but the target was easy
Vaibhav Suryavanshi played an explosive inning of 50 runs in 19 balls. He hit 4 fours and 4 sixes and batted at a strike rate of 263.16. His innings was worth watching and due to that, India achieved the target of 126 runs in just 13.2 overs, but it is also true that India got the target of only 126 runs. The small target was achieved because the bowlers, especially Mayank Yadav, had pushed Zimbabwe on the backfoot in the beginning. This was the reason why despite Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s explosive fifty, 24-year-old Mayank Yadav was chosen as the player of the match. His bowling laid the foundation of India’s victory.