Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Vs India National Cricket Team Timeline

The rivalry between the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team and the India National Cricket Team might not be as contentious as several other famous cricket rivalries, though it occupies a portion of cricket history in a distinguished way. The battle between the Indian and Zimbabwean cricket teams began their journey in the 1980s, and by using the concept of challenges and memories, Zimbabweans have surely surprised India with some sour memories. However, the majority of the time on the field, India have flaunted their strength and experience, and defeated Zimbabwe, who have always exhibited their fighting spirit consistently, particularly at home. Andy Flower, Heath Streak, and Tatenda Taibu have historically caused problems to the Indian team and gained mutual respect from cricket followers in both countries. The Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Vs India National Cricket Team Timeline frames the cricketing journey they have taken from their early encounters to their most recent competitive, convivial matches.

1983 to 1990s: Era of Indian Dominance

1. 1983 Prudential World Cup- Zimbabwe and India met for the first time in the Prudential World Cup in 1983 at Leicester. Men in Blue crowned a victory over Chevrons by 5 wickets. India beat the target of Zimbabwe and scored 157 runs in 37 overs. Mohinder Amarnath scored a half-century with 50 runs in the match. While Madan Lal Sharma became the Shining Star of the Show with his great bowling attacks on the Chevrons. He took 3 wickets in 10 overs and won the Man of the Match title for his exceptional performance in the game. In the 20th match of the World Cup, once again India clean-swept Zimbabwe and won the match by 31 runs. Kapil Dev played one of the best innings of all time and hit an incredible century with 175 off 138 and became the main highlight of the game.
2. 1991-1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup- This iconic match was held at Seddon Park, Hamilton, where Team India won the match by 55 runs. India’s innings was powered by Sachin Tendulkar's 81 off 77, with a Sanjay Manjrekar partnership of 34 off 34 helping them set the target of 203/7 in 32 overs. On the other hand, Andy Flower scored 43 runs in 56 balls, but they only managed to score 104 runs in 19 overs. Sachin Tendulkar won the Man of the Match award.
3. 1992-1993 Zimbabwe v India- It is the first ODI match of the 1992 series. Men in Blue dismantled the Chevrons on their home ground by 30 runs. Thanks to Sanjay Manjrekar's 70 off 70 balls and support from Sachin Tendulkar (39 off 56) and Praveen Amre (36 off 55). India set the target of 240 runs in 50 overs, but the chevrons managed to score only 209 in 49 overs. For the Zimbabwe team, Andy Flower and Gary Crocker were the top scorers, who scored a half-century each.
4. 1992-1993 Zimbabwe v India- Both teams met for their first test match in 1992. India won the series 1-0. In 1992, the first match was drawn between the teams. In 1993, Zimbabwe toured India for test matches. India beat Zimbabwe on their home soil, winning the match by an innings. Vinod Kambli showed his incredible batting skills by hitting a double century, 227 off 301 in the first innings of the game. Navjot Sidhu, Sachin Tendulkar, and Praveen Amre were the key players from Team India who scored a half-century in the match. From the Chevrons team, Andy Flower also hit a century with 115 runs in the match.
5. 1996-1997 Standard Bank International Series- The 1996-97 International Series is the iconic series where matches were filled with thrilling experiences for the fans, and the series ended on 1-1 between India and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe won the first match by 3 wickets. However, India won the 9th match of the tournament by 6 wickets. Sachin Tendulkar scored a century with 104 runs in the 9th match and won the Man of the Match title for his incredible batting in the match.
6. 1998-1999 Coca-Cola Champions Trophy- India won the final match of the 1998-99 Champions Trophy by 10 wickets in Sharjah. Team India beat the target of Chevrons by scoring 197 runs in 30 overs. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar's partnership was pivotal in India’s win. Tendulkar hit a century, scoring 124 runs, and Sourav Ganguly scored 63 runs in the match. Sachin Tendulkar was crowned the Man of the Match for his commendable performance.
7. 1998-1999 Zimbabwe v India- In the first test match of the 1998-99 test series, Zimbabwe crushed India and won the match by 61 runs. Gavin Rennie, Craig Wishart, Heath Streak, Henry Olonga, and Neil Johnson were the Key Players in the match who led their team to win the match. Henry Olonga was awarded the Player of the Match for taking 6 wickets in the match.
8. 1999 ICC World Cup- It was the 8th match of the World Cup held at Leicester, where Zimbabwe won the match by 3 runs. It was the most thrilling and nail-biting experience for both the players and the fans of Zimbabwe. Chevrons scored 252 runs in 50 overs. Andy Flower secured a half-century with 68 off 85. The bowling attacks of the Zimbabwe team are the main highlights of the game.

2000 to 2015: Era of Tough Rivalry:

1. 2000-2001 India v Zimbabwe- India edged Zimbabwe in the 2000-2001 test series. India invited Zimbabwe for the first 2 matches of the test series. India won the series by 2-1. However, the second test match ended with a draw. Rahul Dravid scored a double century in the first test match, and Sachin Tendulkar scored 122 off 233. Shiv Das and Rahul Dravid scored an incredible century in the 2nd test match, while Sachin Tendulkar secured a double century with 201 off 281 in the first innings. From the Chevrons team, Andy Flower, Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell scored an incredible century in the first and second match of the series. Andy Flower hit a double century with 232 off 444 in the 2nd innings of the second test match.
2. 2002-2003 ICC Champions Trophy- It was the 3rd match of the 2002-03 Champions Trophy, where India once again smashed over Zimbabwe and won the match by 14 runs. India’s innings was built on Mohammad Kaif’s brilliant 111 off 112 balls, supported by Rahul Dravid’s 71 runs. Zimbabwe’s chase was powered by Andy Flower’s unbeaten 145 off 164 balls. Zaheer Khan’s 4/45 played a crucial role in restricting Zimbabwe, sealing India’s victory.
3. 2002-2003 ICC World Cup- India once again claimed their victory over Zimbabwe by 83 runs in the 19th match of the 2003 ICC World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar was top-scorer for India with a well-crafted 81 off 91 balls, and Rahul Dravid contributed 43 off 55 balls. India posted a competitive 255/7 in their 50 overs. Tatenda Taibu’s 29 off 44 was the highest score for Zimbabwe, but they were bowled out for 172, giving India a comprehensive 83-run victory.
4. 2005-2006 Zimbabwe v India- Men in Blue crushed Chevrons in the 2005-06 test series by winning 2-0. Team India completely dominated Zimbabwe on the English soil in this 2-match test series. V V S Laxman and Sourav Ganguly hit a century in the first test match which powered India to dominate victory. In the second test match, Irfan Pathan took 7/59 in the first innings, and Rahul Dravid’s 98 helped India post a commanding total, leading to a 10-wicket win.
5. 2009-2010 Zimbabwe Triangular Series- After a long time, Zimbabwe made a comeback and smashed the Indian team. In the first match, India set a target of 285, thanks to Rohit Sharma’s century (114 off 119 balls). Zimbabwe chased it down with ease, led by Brendan Taylor’s brilliant 81* and Craig Ervine’s 67, securing a 6-wicket victory with 10 balls to spare. And in the second match, India was restricted to 194, with Ravindra Jadeja’s 51 being the highest score. Zimbabwe chased the target comfortably, with Brendan Taylor again leading the way with 74*, ensuring a 7-wicket win.
6. 2009-2010 Zimbabwe v India- Both teams met for their T20Is in 2010. India once again dominated Zimbabwe by winning 2-0. Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Vinay Kumar, and Yusuf Pathan are some of the leading players of Team India who led their team to win the match.
7. 2014-2015 ICC World Cup- India once again clinched a victory over Zimbabwe by 6 wickets. Brendan Taylor, playing his final ODI for Zimbabwe, scored a magnificent 138 off 110 balls. Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 110* and MS Dhoni’s 85* anchored India’s chase, securing a 6-wicket victory.
8. 2015 Zimbabwe v India- In the 2nd match of the T20I series, Zimbabwe clinched a victory over India by 10 runs. Chevrons scored 145/7 in 20 overs. Chamu Chibhabha scored 67 off 51 and won the Man of the Match award for his exceptional batting performance.

2016 to Recent Encounters:

1. 2016 Zimbabwe v India- Zimbabwe invited India for the 3-match ODI series and India defeated Chevrons on their home ground by 3-0. KL Rahul scored an unbeaten 100* in the first match, leading India to a dominant win. Barinder Sran’s 2 wickets in 10 overs dismantled Zimbabwe, making the match easy for India in the second ODI. Faiz Fazal’s 55* and KL Rahul’s 63* wrapped up a clinical 10-wicket win for India in the 3rd match.
2. 2022 Zimbabwe v India- India crushed Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club and clinched a series win by 3-0. Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill are the two famous players of the Indian team who secured a half-century in the first ODI match of the series. Shubman Gill also hit a century, 130 off 97 in the third match of the series.
3. 2024 Zimbabwe v India- Zimbabwe won the first T20I match of the 2024 series by 13 runs. Zimbabwe scored 115 runs in 20 overs and still managed to defend it. Ravi Bishnoi became the Shining star of the show, taking 4 wickets in 4 overs, while Sikandar Raza won the Man of the Match award for his fast bowling.