Samson, Mukesh fire India to 42-run win over Zimbabwe in 5th T20I, bag series 4-1
Harare, Jul 14: Sanju Samson’s well-crafted fifty and Mukesh Kumar’s disciplined spell helped India wind up their Zimbabwe tour with a comprehensive 42-run victory in the fifth and final T20I here on Sunday.
With this win, India clinched the series 4-1.
Samson’s (58, 45b) was central to India’s healthy 167 for six along with Shivam Dube’s flashy 26 (12b).
Then the India bowlers led by Mukesh (4/22), Shivam Dube (2/25) and Washington Sundar (1/7) did their job, bundling out Zimbabwe for 125 in 18.3 overs.
After the early dismissal of Wessly Madhevere, who dragged the third ball of the first over by pacer Mukesh onto his stumps, and Brian Bennett, the pair of Tadiwanashe Marumani (27) and Dion Myers (34) added 44 runs for the third wicket to keep the hosts in the hunt.
Marumani’s switch-hit four off leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who went for a few runs in this match, was quite stunning in its execution.
But such shots were few and far between from the Zimbabwe batters.
Marumani went for a sweep shot against Washington but missed the line altogether as the ball crashed on to his upper torso to get adjudged as leg-before.
Dube tailed a shuffling Myers with a quicker delivery onto his body, and the Zimbabwe batter merely chipped the ball to Abhishek Sharma at short third man.
The final nail on their hope was the run out of skipper Sikandar Raza (8), which came in a cartwheel of four wickets for nine runs.
Mukesh, who bagged his career-best T20 figure, fittingly ended Zimbabwe innings going through the gate of Richard Ngarava.
Earlier, Samson (1x4, 4x6) and Riyan Parag (22, 24b) added 65 runs for the fourth wicket as India recovered from a middling Power Play in which they scored 44 for three.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (12), who made an unbeaten 93 in the fourth T20I, started the proceedings with two sixes in the first two balls of the innings bowled by Raza.
But in the fourth ball of the same over, Jaiswal played the wrong line to a delivery on the middle and leg stump to get bowled.
Abhishek, who was dropped on 10 by Bennett off Blessing Muzarabani, did not last long, edging the pacer two balls later to Clive Madande behind the wicket.
Skipper Shubman Gill, who received a reprieve on 11, was never in his fluent self and smashed left-arm seamer Ngarava straight into the hands of Raza in the deep.
At 44 for three, India needed a partnership to steady the innings. Samson and Parag provided just that.
Their alliance was all about prudence than theatrics, choosing the correct delivery to punish.
It was the right approach too considering the pitch was not precisely a belter as it was in the previous two matches, offering a hint of turn.
However, Samson showed his aggressive side when the opportunity presented itself.
He biffed leg-spinner Brandon Mavuto for two sixes in a row and the second shot was a little marvel.
Mavuto angled the ball into Samson’s leg-stump, but the right-hander gave himself enough space to carve that over extra cover for a maximum.
Samson brought up his fifty in 39 balls, his second in T20Is, but Parag departed as India were looking for some late acceleration.
The right-hander perished to Mavuto while looking to clear the fence, and Samson too could not carry on till the end of the innings.
He took on Muzarabani, the most impressive among home side bowlers, but ended up giving a catch to tumbling Marumani.
However, the tourists found some late steam through Dube’s fireworks.
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Over 300 students from govt schools in Punjab qualify JEE Mains 2026: Education minister
Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday said 305 students from government schools qualified in their first attempt of the joint entrance examination (JEE) Mains 2026.
This number reflects an increase of 63 per cent from last year's 187 successful candidates, he said describing the achievement as a defining moment for the state's school education system.
Bains shared that five students from his constituency Sri Anandpur Sahib also cracked the prestigious examination.
He announced that the government will organise a special three-week residential training camp to prepare the qualified students for JEE Advance, ensuring they receive focused guidance for the next stage.
"This feat marks a moment of immense pride for our entire school education department. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our dedicated teachers. The recent JEE Mains Phase 1 results showcased an outstanding performance by the Punjab government schools, with 305 students cracking the competitive engineering exam," Bains said.
This feat represents a remarkable 63 per cent increase from last year's 187 qualifiers, he said.
"Achieving such a significant milestone in just one year is a testament to the transformative power of our Punjab 'Sikhya Kranti' initiative. We are committed to further accelerating our progress," the state education minister said.
He also shared that Bhavishya, a Class 12 non-medical student from the School of Eminence in Amritsar secured an impressive 98.182 percentile.
His father runs a mobile repair shop and his mother works as a tailor.
"Despite financial constraints, his determination to pursue engineering and uplift his family remained unshaken. With strong school support and disciplined preparation, he achieved outstanding success," he said.
He further informed that Dilkhush Jha, a government school student from Bathinda, scored 95.091 percentile in JEE Mains.
With his father being a labourer and mother a homemaker, and an annual family income of Rs 1.2 lakh, he relied on self-study.
Similarly, Priyanka Sharma, a science student from the School of Eminence, Sangrur, secured a 96.44 percentile in JEE Mains while simultaneously preparing for NEET.
Bains said no other state government has matched this scale of achievement in government schools.
He congratulated all 305 students and their parents, and thanked the teachers for making what he described as a historic day for Punjab's government school system.
