A clinical India clinched the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, pulling off another fine all-round show to crush the minnows by eight wickets for an unassailable 2-0 lead, here on Monday.
It was a dominant performance yet again from the new-look Indian side whose bowlers first skittled the hosts for a lowly 126 in 34.3 overs and the batsmen hardly broke a sweat to get past the target in only 26.5 overs.
If India manage a ‘whitewash’ by winning the third ODI on Wednesday, then it would be a hat-trick of series wins for the Indian teams, maintaining a clean slate in the African nation after their victories in 2013 and 2015.
If young leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (3/25) broke the backbone of the Zimbabwe middle-order, it was Ambati Rayudu who hit 41 off 44 balls to finish the game with a flourish.
With the target hardly posing any challenge, last match’s centurion Kl Rahul (33) added 58 runs in company of Karun Nair (39 off 68 balls) for the opening stand. The Rayudu-Nair pair added 67 runs for the second wicket.
Nair, on his part, got much-needed confidence with some runs under his belt but the manner in which he played was more about self preservation on a slightly tricky track.
When Nair was finally gone trying to sweep a straight delivery from Graeme Cremer, India needed only two runs which Manish Pandey (4 no) completed with a boundary.
But it was Rayudu, who hit a flurry of boundaries — seven in all to finish the match with 23.1 overs to spare.
With ball darting around a bit, the Indian batsmen were cautious and Nair for one was lucky to get a reprieve when he edged one off Tendai Chatara only to find that the bowler had overstepped.
He celebrated his charmed life with a down the ground hit off the very next ball.
Nair also drove and pulled Chatara for a couple of boundaries to settle down into a good rhythm.
Chatara was also handed some rough treatment from Rahul who got a couple of boundaries with a cover drive and a cut shot. He also got a couple of boundaries off seamer Taurai Muzarabani.
Rahul looked solid for at least another half-century but he dragged one from Chamu Chibhabha onto his stumps. He had four boundaries in his 50-ball knock.
Rayudu, who was unusually subdued during his half-century in the first game, started with a couple of boundaries off Chatara followed by a couple of fours each off Elton Chigumbura and Chibhabha.
Earlier, Chahal scalped three wickets as India produced another professional bowling effort to dismiss a fragile Zimbabwe batting line-up for 126.
Bowlers did great job: Dhoni
India are on course for an effortless ODI series whitewash over Zimbabwe but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday said he is concerned about the lack of opportunities for most of his batsmen in the tour so far.
“So far, only three of our top batsmen have got the chance to play. In the batting department we would like to make changes,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Regarding changes in the team combination for the last ODI and three T20 Internationals, he said, “We’ll sit and discuss changes for the next game with Sanjay (Bangar). There’s only so much players can do in only one game. We’ll see who can we fit in the T20 squad and maybe we’ll rest one of the bowlers.”
Dhoni gave credit to his bowlers for the resounding win. “Our bowlers did a great job to restrict them, I felt they would cross 200 but our spinners got us important breakthroughs,” he said.
Prayag Bags Title Sponsorship T20
Prayag, India’s leading bath assets and sanitary ware brand,has bagged the title sponsorship for India vs Zimbabwe T20 International Series which will be held in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe.
Christened as Prayag Cup 2016, the tournament will kick off from June 18.