India celebrate after whitewashing Zimbabwe 3-0
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
The Indian trio of Lokesh Rahul, debutant Faiz Fazal and Jasprit Bumrah all played an integral role in helping their side demolish Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in the third and final ODI in Harare.
Rahul and Fazal both scored half-centuries, while Bumrah took four wickets as India completed their 3-0 series whitewash.
Opting to bat first, Zimbabwe lost wickets at regular intervals, which had a negative effect on their run rate as they were restricted to 89/3 in the 29th over.
With Zimbabwe struggling to maintain a healthy run-rate, what came next can only be classed as a disaster as they lost four wickets in four balls. The hosts were never able to recover from the quadruple blow as they ended up being skittled out for 123.
Bumrah inflicted the most damage with four wickets, while Yuzvendra Chahal snapped up two and Axar Patel and Dhawal Kulkarni chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Bumrah finished with figures of 4-22 off his 10 overs
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Chasing 124 to win, India opening pair of Rahul and Fazal got the job done themselves as they amassed an unbeaten 126-run stand to lead India to a convincing win.
Fazal made a half-century on debut
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Rahul finished on 63 not out, which came off 70 balls and included four boundaries and two sixes, while Fazal remained undefeated on 55 off 61 balls, which included seven boundaries and a six.
Rahul was named Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 63
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer was less than impressed with his side’s performance, and said: “We didn’t see through the new ball to put up 260-270 which we thought was par. We got stuck in the middle period, and then lost grip. We just couldn’t rotate strike, and that put pressure on our batsmen. We have a T20I squad, and we know we can challenge good teams on our day. We’ll have to pick ourselves up to try and compete in that series.”
India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauded his side for their incredible performance, and said: “I think the execution has been really good, and that’s the key factor. The fast bowlers and the spinners took wickets and put pressure, so I’m happy with the bowling performance. I don’t mind winning games easily, that’s what you are supposed to do. Yes, it would have been nice if a few of the other batsmen would have had a break. I think after a long time, I will take some time off cricket after this series (T20Is). Don’t think my daughter still recognises me.”
Rahul was named Man of the Match and Man of the Series, and said: “I always knew I had the game to do well in every format. It was just a matter of time. The last couple of months have been really good. To come out here and perform the way I have is really pleasing. Credit to our bowlers for make our job easy. I knew I could go out there, take my time and play proper cricketing shots. It was a challenge for me to remain calm and play my natural game. I’m not thinking about West Indies yet. What’s on my mind right now is to switch to the T20 format.”