Pragyan Ojha shows his T20 utility

Pragyan Ojha registered the most economic T20 figures for an India bowler, helping India notch up their first win over Zimbabwe on this tour. The hosts came out all bats blazing against India, but charred themselves as well, losing too many wickets early, letting spinners dominate proceedings after that.

When Ojha came on bowl, Zimbabwe had already raced to were 41 for 2 in four overs. The spinners went for 57 in 14 overs among them, and Ojha only for 11 in four, taking two wickets and not conceding a single boundary. The pitch was neither too slow nor turning a lot, but Ojha - left out of the World Twenty20 party - showed his importance to the team with a disciplined spell.

Zimbabwe had made a hectic start with Chamu Chibhabha and Brendan Taylor getting stuck into the medium-pacers despite the loss of Hamilton Masakadza in the first over. Chibhabha was happy to sit back and pull or cut length deliveries, but Ojha thwarted him. A spell of six overs for 32 runs was followed by the Chibhabha's wicket.

Ervine, at the other end, was troubled not by the spin, but by the lack of it. Lack of singles meant the pressure increased at the other end, and Elton Chigumbura fell while trying to play the big sweep against Ojha. The straighter one again proved valuable when P Ojha trapped Greg Lamb in the same over, making it 81 for 6 in the 14th, a state Zimbabwe never recovered from.