'Step up' - Sikandar Raza has a go at senior players after Zimbabwe's loss

The Zimbabwean skipper, Sikandar Raza, gave an overview of how his team's defeat against India was primarily triggered by the top-order batters' failure to rack up runs and many fielding errors on July 10 at Harare Sports Club. Following a defeat in the first game of their five-match T20I series, the Men in Blue pulled off an unbelievable turnaround, thrashing Zimbabwe by 23 runs to grab a 2-1 lead. Zimbabwe ended up losing by 23 runs in the match, despite strong efforts from players such as Clive Madande and Dion Mayers, who failed to get over the 182-run mark to take the lead against the defending T20 World Cup winners.

Meanwhile, Team India's top-order batters, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad, among others, grabbed the opportunity as Zimbabwe made many misfields and overlooked catches, putting a respectable score on the scoreboard that the visiting side was able to defend. In order for India to make good on their decision to bat first, Shubman Gill's 66 off 49 balls and Ruturaj's blistering 49 off 28 balls were crucial. The Zimbabwe batting order suffered an immense setback during their turn to pursue, thanks to Indian bowlers Avesh Khan and Washington Sundar, who took 2 and 3 wickets, respectively, to win the game.

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The youngsters making mistakes is acceptable but the senior players need to step up: Raza

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza had a four-over spell in the first inning that conceded 24 runs while bagging up two key wickets. However, the 38-year-old piled up fifteen runs off of sixteen balls, featuring three boundaries in the second inning. After losing the match, the stylish right-handed batter acknowledged his pride in his team's fielding. In addition, the star all-rounder admitted that they are still struggling at the top order but believed that they would improve in the next few matches. Raza further added that the senior players need to step up to win matches like these.

“I think it's the fielding again, we are proud of our fielding but the wheels came off today, we gave away 20 extra runs and we lost by 23 runs. We still have problems at the top but I have utmost faith in them that they will come good some time. The youngsters making mistakes is acceptable but the senior players need to step up,” Raza said in the post-match presentation.

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