India National Cricket Team and Zimbabwe National Cricket Team Timeline: India and Zimbabwe don’t have as fierce a rivalry as some of the others; there have been some great moments from this rivalry over the years. The matches played between these two countries range from their earliest encounters during the late 1980s and several World Cup clashes to a story of development, upsets, and dominance. The India National Cricket Team has mostly been too deep and consistent for Zimbabwe to handle, even though we have seen some great Zimbabwean performances, especially in home conditions. Whether they finish close or one way, each chapter of the India National Cricket Team and Zimbabwe National Cricket Team timeline adds some fodder to the international cricket history and showcases how the most apparent veneers of one-sided rivalries can produce some of the greatest games.
Early Encounters: 1983 to 2000
The India National Cricket Team vs Zimbabwe National Cricket Team timeline started with the 1983 World Cup match and has since changed from the Indian players’ overwhelming dominance to Zimbabwe’s up-and-coming stars, who have fought valiantly to win matches against India.
- Prudential World Cup 1983: The eighth World Cup match of the 1983 World Cup in Leicester saw the first meeting between the Men in Blue and the Chevrons. Zimbabwe was bowled out at 155 after being invited to bat first. India, which batted second, outperformed them and won by five wickets. Indian players were having trouble at the bat in the tournament’s twentieth match (17/5), but Kapil Dev struck a scorching 175 not out to reach a respectable 266. Zimbabwe’s opening batsmen Robin Brown (35) and Grant Paterson (23) got off to a strong start but were bowled out for 235. India prevailed by 31 runs.
- 1987 Reliance World Cup: Zimbabwe and India participated in two competitive matches. With the help of Dillip Vengsarkar (46*) and Sunil Gavaskar (43), India won the eleventh game by eight wickets after completing the score chase of 136. The Chevrons batted first and reached 191/7 in the 19th match. India defeated Zimbabwe by 7 wickets after completing the run chase in 42 overs under the leadership of Navjot Sidhu (55).
- 1992-1993 Zimbabwe vs India: In Harare, Zimbabwe and India played their first Test match. A Zimbabwean cricketer achieved a century against India for the first time, making the match memorable even though it ended in a tie. Grant Flower’s scorching 82 and David Houghton’s 121 helped them to a respectable total of 456.
- 1992-1993 India vs Zimbabwe: India won the Test match between the two teams in Delhi by an innings and 13 runs. With his career-high 227, Vinod Kambli made a substantial contribution to India’s 536/7d total. In the first and second innings, Zimbabwe scored 322 and 201 runs, respectively. Andy Flower’s 115 and 62* were vital to his team.
- 1992–1993 India vs Zimbabwe: The Men in Blue dominated the Chevrons in a three-match ODI series played in India. India won the maiden One-Day International by a resounding 67 runs. They won by seven wickets in the second game after putting up a solid display. They won by eight wickets in the third ODI, securing their series victory with yet another outstanding performance.
- 1993-1994 C.A.B. Jubilee Tournament: On November 18, 1993, India met Zimbabwe in Indore in the tournament’s seventh match. India, who were invited to bat first, scored 248/5. The game ended in a stalemate as Zimbabwe pursued the target and was dismissed for 248. Manoj Prabhakar’s outstanding batting performance of 91 earned him the title of man of the match. This game demonstrated Zimbabwe’s increasing ability to bounce back from adversity in the sport against India.
- The 1996–1997 Standard Bank International Series was a crucial part of the cricket rivalry between Zimbabwe and India. During the series, the two sides faced off three times. The game ended in a stalemate as Zimbabwe scored 236 runs in the third game and held India’s innings to the same total. For his team, Eddo Brandes’ fifer was essential. Using the D/L technique, Zimbabwe defeated India by 3 wickets in the eighth game, making it a historic victory. India scored 216 after batting first. Rain stopped Zimbabwe’s innings, and they now have to win by 171 runs in 34 overs. 171 was reached by the Chevrons in 33.4 overs. In the ninth game, Sachin Tendulkar’s 104-run performance helped India win by 6 wickets.
- 1998-1999 Zimbabwe vs India: Zimbabwe defeated India by 61 runs in the first Test of the 1998–1999 series. Zimbabwe, who were invited to bat first, scored 221 and 293 runs while stopping India’s innings at 280 and 173. Henry Olonga, who took five wickets and removed important Indian batsmen.
2000 to 2025: Modern Day Battles
- 2001–2002 India vs Zimbabwe: India hosted a five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in 2001–2002. India won the following three matches; however, Zimbabwe won the first match by one wicket and the third Test by six wickets. Important Zimbabwean players were Travis Friend, Douglas Marillier, Douglas Hondo, Andy Flower, and Alistair Campbell. India’s victory was largely attributed to Sourav Ganguly, V V S Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Mongia, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, and Harbhajan Singh.
- 2009–2010 Zimbabwe Triangular Series: The Triangular Series featured two games between the Men in Blue and the Chevrons. Zimbabwe won the opening game of the series by a margin of six wickets. Rohit Sharma’s century gave India a respectable 285 points. However, Indian players were unable to stop Zimbabwe from reaching the 289-run target. Brendan Taylor’s brilliant performance of 81 helped Zimbabwe win the match in 48.2 overs with 4 wickets to spare. Zimbabwe won the series by seven wickets in the fourth game. India scored 194 runs in 50 overs after batting first. For three wickets, the Chevrons managed to complete the chase with ease in 38.2 overs.
- 2009–2010 Zimbabwe vs India: On June 12, 2010, the first Twenty20 match between India and Zimbabwe took place in Harare. Zimbabwe scored 111 runs in the first innings. Indian players easily chased the mark, scoring 112 in 15 overs when behind by 4 wickets.
- 2013-2014 Zimbabwe v India: India defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the fourth game of the 2013–2014 series. Zimbabwe reached 144 in 42.4 overs after being invited to play in the first innings. In order to lead Team India to win, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina batted together for 122 runs.
- 2015–2016 Zimbabwe vs India: Zimbabwe won by 10 runs in the second game of the series, which was played in Harare. They held India to 135 runs while scoring 145 for 7 wickets. Because of his contributions, Justice Chibhabha was chosen player of the match and scored 67 for his team.
- 2016 India vs Zimbabwe: In Harare, the Men in Blue faced the Chevrons in 2016. The game was won by Zimbabwe by two runs. India chose to bowl first after winning the toss; however, their choice was poor because they were unable to finish the run chase. In 20 overs, Zimbabwe held India to 168 runs while scoring 170.
- 2016 Zimbabwe vs India: KL Rahul and Faiz Fazal’s game-winning partnership helped India reach the run chase of 126 in the third match of the ODI series. Jasprit Bumrah had earlier taken four wickets as well, keeping Zimbabwe’s score from falling to 123 in 42.2 overs.
- 2022 Zimbabwe vs India: India won the first game of a three-match ODI series at Harare by a margin of ten wickets. In the first innings, Zimbabwe scored 189 runs. Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill worked together to win the game for India by executing the chase.
- 2024 Zimbabwe vs India: Zimbabwe scored 115/9 in the opening innings of the first game of the five-match Twenty20 International series. India lost the match by 13 runs after being knocked out for 102. The final four games were won by India.
The India National Cricket Team vs. Zimbabwe National Cricket Team schedule has changed throughout time, moving from India’s lopsided domination to a fierce matchup between the two sides. Even though India has always been superior to Zimbabwe, the latter has made things difficult for India here and there. As teams compete for dominance and demonstrate their abilities under duress, fans anticipate exciting meetings with dramatic chases in all formats, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.
