India speedster Mayank Yadav made an immediate impact in the first T20I against Zimbabwe by striking with the very first ball of the match at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday, July 23. Leading India’s pace attack after captain Shreyas Iyer elected to bowl first, the Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler dismissed Zimbabwe opener Brian Bennett to hand the visitors a dream start.

The breakthrough came after wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan convinced Shreyas Iyer to review the on-field umpire’s decision. While the umpire initially turned down India’s appeal, Kishan was confident that Bennett had edged the delivery. India opted for the Decision Review System (DRS), and UltraEdge confirmed a faint nick, overturning the decision and sending Bennett back to the pavilion.

The wicket was significant not only for India’s start but also for Mayank’s growing list of achievements. By dismissing Bennett with the opening delivery, the Delhi pacer became only the third Indian bowler to claim a wicket with the first ball of a T20I match.

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Mayank joined an exclusive list featuring Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya. Arshdeep achieved the feat against the United States during the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, while Hardik Pandya dismissed Pakistan opener Saim Ayub with the first ball of India’s Asia Cup 2025 clash in Dubai.

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The latest breakthrough also highlighted Mayank’s remarkable consistency with the new ball. This was the second time in his international T20 career that he struck with the opening delivery of an innings. His first such dismissal came against Bangladesh in Hyderabad on October 12, 2024, when he removed opener Parvez Hossain Emon with the very first ball.

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With that achievement, Mayank became only the fourth Indian bowler to take a wicket on the first ball of a T20I innings on multiple occasions. The elite list is led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has achieved the feat three times, while Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh have each done it twice. Mayank’s explosive start against Zimbabwe further underlined his reputation as one of India’s most exciting fast-bowling talents in the shortest format.