India became the second men’s T20 World Cup champion to lose their first T20i after clinching the title, though this was a completely different playing XI in Harare compared to the team that won in the West Indies last week. They followed in the footsteps of England, who won the title in November 2022 and lost their first T20I as World Champions against Bangladesh in March 2023.

India’s failure to reach a target of 116 against Zimbabwe in Harare marks their lowest total in a full 20-over men’s T20I. The previous lowest failed chase was 127 against New Zealand in the 2016 T20 World Cup.

This defeat ended a streak of at least 12 consecutive wins for India in men’s internationals, matching their longest winning streak across formats, which they achieved in 2017. India’s last defeat was against England in the Hyderabad Test, followed by four consecutive Test wins and eight victories at the T20 World Cup.

Walking into the match against Zimbabwe, India was unbeaten in 12 consecutive T20i’s since their loss to South Africa in December 2023. They won outright in 11 of those 12 T20i’s, with one game ending in a tie, which they won in the Super Over. This streak equaled their longest unbeaten run in the format, a 12-match winning streak between 2021 and 2022.

India’s total against Zimbabwe was their second-lowest in a run chase in men’s T20i’s at 102. Their lowest is 76 all out against New Zealand in pursuit of a 127-run target in the 2016 World Cup. It is also the third-lowest total for a Full Member against Zimbabwe in T20Is, behind West Indies’ 79 for 7 in 2010 and Pakistan’s 99 all out in 2021.

Sikandar Raza earned his 15th Player-of-the-Match award in T20i’s, the joint-second most in men’s T20Is alongside Suryakumar Yadav and just one behind Virat Kohli (16). Six of Raza’s match awards have come while leading Zimbabwe in 20 T20i’s.

There were seven batters dismissed for a duck in Harare between Zimbabwe (4) and India (3), the second-most ducks in a men’s T20I involving Full Members, behind the eight ducks in the 2010 T20i between West Indies and Zimbabwe in Port-of-Spain.

In Zimbabwe’s innings, Clive Madande and Tendai Chatara put together a tenth-wicket partnership where Madande scored all 25 runs off 18 balls, while Chatara remained unbeaten on zero off nine balls. The tournament continues.