Earlier today (July 6), India played the first of five T20Is against Zimbabwe in what is the first bilateral series between the two sides in the shortest format in eight years. To the cricketing community's collective shock, they lost.
A week ago, India won their 12th T20I in a row and became only the third team to win the T20 World Cup twice, beating South Africa by seven runs in the final in Barbados. Zimbabwe, by contrast, were not a part of the competition, having failed to qualify for the tournament as Uganda finished ahead of them in the African qualifiers to secure a first-ever World Cup berth.
The disparities between the two sides could not have been more pronounced, and even a new-look India was expected to comfortably sweep the series; yet Zimbabwe's shock victory, in which they successfully defended 115, bundling India out for 102, has transformed what was, on the surface, a banal series, into a potentially competitive and thrilling one.
Reactions to India's shock defeat to Zimbabwe
Several fans and experts weighed in on a historic day for Zimbabwe.
