Jongwe reveals reason behind ‘shoe celebration’ after Zimbabwe's win over India

Zimbabwean player 'shoe call celebration' was inspired by pre-match chat with girlfriend Brenda Jasi

Zimbabwe caused a major upset on Saturday at Harare Sports Club, successfully defending a modest target of 116 against a youthful Indian team captained by Shubman Gill.

The Indian batsmen struggled to apply themselves, losing half their side by the 10th over, with Dhruv Jurel falling victim to Luke Jongwe on his T20I debut.

Jongwe's distinctive 'shoe call celebration' after taking the wicket stemmed from a playful pre-match conversation with his girlfriend Brenda Jasi.

"I came up with the idea for the celebration while I was on a call with my girlfriend Brenda. We were discussing a celebration I would do if I got a wicket, so I went with the shoe celebration. I told her each time I get a wicket, I would be calling you," Jongwe explained.

Zimbabwe's captain, Sikandar Raza, expressed delight at his team's victory while acknowledging the ongoing challenge posed by an inexperienced Indian lineup.

"Feel really happy about the win. Need to take one game at a time. The job is not done, series is not over. World champions play like world champions, so we need to be ready for the next game," Raza said.

Raza also highlighted the team's focus and determination.

"This isn't a wicket where you get bowled out for 115. Credit to the bowlers of both sides. Clearly an indication we need to up our skills. Our catching and ground fielding was amazing, but we did make some errors, showing there's room for improvement. We knew the fans would lift us up and give us energy, credit to them, it helped us."