Shreyas Iyer wins his first series as India captain as Men in Blue complete 3-0 whitewash of Zimbabwe

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced another mature innings at the top of the order, while India's bowlers, led by Mayank Yadav, completed a clinical 35-run win over Zimbabwe in the third and final T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Sunday. The victory sealed a 3-0 series sweep for India and marked a strong comeback after disappointing T20I series defeats against England and Ireland earlier this year.

Defending 193 on a slow surface was always going to test Zimbabwe's batting, but the hosts never managed to recover from another poor start. Ryan Burl fought till the end with an unbeaten 54, but Zimbabwe finished on 157 for seven, well short of the target.

Mayank Yadav gave India the perfect start by dismissing Brian Bennett with the very first ball of the innings. Bowling with pace and accuracy, he finished with impressive figures of 3 for 29. Yash Thakur then struck twice in the fourth over, removing Dion Myers and captain Sikandar Raza off successive deliveries as Zimbabwe slipped to 34 for three.

Burl and Wesley Madhevere tried to rebuild the innings with a 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Madhevere made 28 before falling, while Burl continued to attack despite running out of support. India were not at their best in the field, putting down four catches, but Zimbabwe had left themselves with too much to do after the early wickets.

Earlier, India also suffered an early setback after opting to bat, losing Abhishek Sharma for just two. The left-hander's poor run continued as he failed to reach double figures for the sixth successive innings.

That brought Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan together, and the pair steadied the innings with a 75-run stand. Unlike his aggressive fifty earlier in the series, Sooryavanshi showed a more measured approach on a sluggish pitch. The 15-year-old reached his second T20I half-century in 31 balls before going on to score 81 off 49 deliveries.

His innings included six fours and four sixes, highlighted by a straight drive off Brad Evans and a massive 102-metre six off Sikandar Raza. He also displayed his range with a reverse sweep for four against Wesley Madhevere. More importantly, he paced the innings well and added another 50-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer, who contributed 27.

Sooryavanshi looked set for a century before being dismissed for 81 after Brad Evans took a superb catch at long-off off Madhevere's bowling. India lost momentum briefly after his departure, managing only 47 runs in the final five overs. However, Rinku Singh's quick 25 off 14 balls ensured India finished with a competitive 192.

The bowlers then completed the job comfortably as India wrapped up a convincing series victory with another all-round performance.