It was absolute scenes at Harare Sports Club where Sikandar Raza punched heroically above his weight, smashing the Indian bowlers to every nook and cranny of the park only to fall short of the glorious line of history by inches.
Who would have thought that a technically undercooked Zimbabwe, who barely meets their needs at the end of the day, a team that is almost dominated by every powerhouse in world cricket would be standing menacing close to the tip of an iconic turnaround.
Chasing 290, Zimbabwe was off to a phenomenal start despite the fall of Innocent Kaia early. However, the hosts managed to rally from the back and script a showdown of absolutely crazy resilience to start pushing India before the visitors could ride on some late heroics to almost seal the game.
With less than 3 wickets to wrap up, it was almost assured that the Men in Blue were coming home comfortably with intermittent sparks of rebellion from Zimbabwe’s finest, Sikandar Raza. He chose to believe and the kind of composure that he showed at the face of the Indian invasion was absolutely captivating.
Partnering alongside a warring Brad Evans, he took on the Indian bowlers and started turning on the heat. From teetering at 169 for 7, the duo of Raza and Evans stitched together a crucial stand of 103 runs where Raza’s willow did some insane talking while Evans played the perfect two to tango.
Here is what Twitter had to say about Sikandar Raza
With every passing over, India started sliding out of the scenes while Raza tiptoed to the gates of history. The array of strokes stitched by the hard-hitting Zimbabwean was an absolute delight for the sore eyes of the hosts while they pranced to their heart’s content.
Just when Zimbabwe was inches away from an iconic steal, fortune played spoilsport Avesh Khan delivering the telling blow that rattled the partnership and Shubman Gill plucking an absolute mid-air ripper to seal the fate of Raza and Zimbabwe.
Despite the results not going their way, Zimbabwe rode high on the heroics of Sikandar Raza to win countless hearts. Twitter was in absolute awe of the hard-hitting Zimbabwean batter who stunned the world with unrivalled brilliance against Bangladesh and was almost on the verge of tumbling India.
Sikandar Raza in the last 6 ODI's for Zimbabwe:
135*(109) vs BAN while chasing 304
117*(127) vs BAN while chasing 291
115(95) vs IND while chasing 290 pic.twitter.com/1uzLpBPpKX— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 22, 2022
Sikandar Raza ~ 1st player to Score 3 100s while Chasing in a Calendar Year (While batting at No.5 or below)#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/XzDsCIuMcs
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) August 22, 2022
What an innings from @SRazaB24! He is getting runs everywhere. Got to love such stories
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 22, 2022
14 consecutive losses against India and 12 years later, Sikandar Raza almost took Zimbabwe over the line with his century… #INDvsZIM pic.twitter.com/i6WjCRyjfx
— Akhila Seneviratne (@AkhilaSene97) August 22, 2022
Ishan & Kuldeep quick to pat Sikandar Raza on the back at the end a fine, fine innings. pic.twitter.com/i8ZWhN7PWC
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) August 22, 2022
3rd ODI Hundered in this month.
Take a bow, @SRazaB24#indiavszimbabwe pic.twitter.com/FGR21MHwBz
— Said Meerbahar (@Ahmadmirani8) August 22, 2022
That brilliant knock from #sikandarraza be one of the best while chasing 👌💯 #INDvsZIM
— Krish Narang (@knarangg) August 22, 2022
Well played, Sikandar Raza. Heart breaking for him couldn't finish the match for his team. But he played one of the greatest innings for Zimbabwe cricket history, Remarkable innings. Top class Raza. pic.twitter.com/8Lrg82FweM@SRazaB24
— Himanshu Ladha (@HimanshuLadha8) August 22, 2022
Sikandar Raza's innings!! Really a great player. Played a wonderful innings. Hitting a ton against a World class bowling of India isn't a easy thing. This proves his worth.#INDvsZIM #ZIMvIND
— Mohamed Faseeh (@Md_Faseeh) August 22, 2022
Sikandar Raza should be in top 10 in ODI batting rankings. Anything less than that is injustice.#ZIMvIND
— Poornama🏏 (@iam_poor9) August 22, 2022
