New Delhi: India pacer Mayank Yadav added another highlight to his growing record on Thursday, dismissing the Zimbabwe opener. Brian Bennett is the first T20I opener in Harare to join the top list of Indian bowlers.The Express pacer became the third Indian bowler to get a wicket with the first ball in a T20I match, joining Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya. Arshdeep did well against USA’s Shayan Jahangir at the 2024 T20 World Cup in Nassau, while Hardik dismissed Pakistan opener Saim Ayub and opened the opening in the 2025 Asia Cup in Dubai.It was also the second time Mayank bowled the opening ball of a T20I, having previously dismissed Bangladesh opener Parvez Hossain Emon in Hyderabad during the India match in October 2024.
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Mayank was quick to impress after Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first.Charging at 149 km/h, the quick-handed bowler delivered the back ball outside the off stump which was left late. Brian Bennett, steady in the crease, managed a slow drive to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.Although the umpire rejected India’s appeal, Kishan confirmed that he had heard something and urged Iyer to review the decision. The UltraEdge proved a brilliant lift as the ball came through the bat, knocking down the early decision and sending Bennett in for a golden duck after facing just one delivery.A wicket on the first ball of a T20I by an Indian bowler
- Shayan Jahangir (USA) – Arshdeep Singh, Nassau, T20 WC 2024
- Saim Ayub (PAK) – Hardik Pandya, Dubai, Asia Cup 2025
- Brian Bennett (ZIM) – Mayank Yadav, Harare, 2026
The wicket gave India a good start and highlighted Mayank’s ability to trouble the batsmen with his pace and pace right from the start.With the dismissal, Mayank rejoined the group of Indian bowlers who have had multiple wickets in the first round in T20Is. Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the list with three such dismissals, while Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh and Mayank now have two each. Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian to have achieved the feat once.Indian bowlers with wickets in first ball of T20I
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (three times)
- Hardik Pandya (twice)
- Arshdeep Singh (twice)
- Mayank Yadav (twice)
- Ravichandran Ashwin (once)
Earlier, India named the young batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the playing XI, where Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma made his international debut. For the first time, India also announced their replacements before the match, with Suryansh Shedge, Prabhsimran Singh, Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur covering batting, wicket-keeping, spin and pace respectively.Zimbabwe were forced to change the game before the match when Milton Shumba was withdrawn from the set with a right hip injury, with Innocent Kaia replacing him.Mayank, however, ensured that Zimbabwe’s innings got off to a very poor start, leading to India’s impressive start to the first ball.
