Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza was not happy with the Harare pitch after his team suffered a seven-wicket loss against India in the first T20I on Thursday. Raza said the track had moisture for the first 10-12 overs and batting was comparatively easier in the second innings.

The home team’s skipper is hopeful that the pitch doesn’t play a big role even if they lose the toss in the second game. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe was restricted to 125-7 in their 20 overs after Shreyas Iyer decided to bowl first after winning the toss. The hosts lost early wickets, which put them under pressure.

Speaking on the pitch conditions, Sikandar Raza said in the post-match presentation, “I thought during the Bangladesh ODI series, there was a lot of moisture, and it remained there for a long time. Whereas today, I thought the moisture was there for the first eight to ten or even 12 overs, and apart from that, when India came out to bat, the wicket was very true. So, hopefully we get a better wicket for the next game so that even when we lose the toss, it doesn’t play too big a part.”

In fact, the hosts were under the cosh at 32-4 and then were reduced to 64-5 after 13.1 overs but a 57-run alliance between Marumani and Madhevere helped Zimbabwe breach the 100-run mark and they eventually posted 125 runs on the board.

Speaking on the positives, Raza added, “Yes, definitely. That’s one of the positives. Marumani and Madhevere – it’s a new role as well. I thought they batted really well to give us some sort of a respectable total. We’ll take that as a positive, and hopefully the other guys can chip in as well so that we can put up a competitive total if we bat first.”

Meanwhile, Raza was dismissed cheaply after scoring four runs off seven deliveries. The second T20I between India and Zimbabwe will be played at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.