HARARE: Having lost the first T20 in a thrilling encounter, India will look to level the three-match series when they would take on Zimbabwe in the second T20 here today.
The hosts, who put up a spirited show on Saturday, did not just help them turn the gloomy affairs of the home series against India, but also added a bit of spark to an otherwise dull looking series.
The men in blue, who looked completely unchallenged in the 50-over format, walked into the shortest format with the confidence of repeating their stellar performance.
It was evident as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave an opportunity to five players to make their T20I debut in the last match, but none of the debutants came out with an impressive performance.
Chasing a target of 171, India were restricted to 168 for six. Needing only eight off the final over, Dhoni who could not connect a single big shot during his sedate 19 off 17 balls.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe, outclassed in all three ODIs, were able to register their second successive win over India, which acted as a soothing balm over the bruises of recent annihilations.
The victory helped the two senior most players in their line up, Elton Chigumbura and Hamilton Masakadza, to find a way to strike form.