India secure series win as Chahal and Sran wreak havoc

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 126 all-out in 34.3/50 overs (Sibanda 53(69), Chibhabha 21(26), Chahal 3/25, Sran 2/17) lost to India 129/2 in 26.5/50 overs (Rayudu 41*(44), Karun 39(68), Raza 1/7) by 8 wickets

In the first ODI, the Indian pace trio of Dhawal Kulkarni, Barinder Sran, and Jasprit Bumrah had picked eight wickets among themselves to break the back of the Zimbabwe attack, and the pacers once again started in a similar fashion in the second ODI picking three wickets in the first ten overs. The home team changed their opening combination for the match as Chamu Chibhabha opened with Hamilton Masakadza instead of Peter Moor. The new opening combo lasted more balls than the first one, but Sran once again took the first wicket of the match to remove Masakadza in the fifth over. Moor, who came in at No.3, and Chibhabha followed Masakadza soon to the dressing room to leave the hosts reeling at 39/3.

Chahal turns it back for India

106/3 in 25 overs was a good score on the slow wicket at Harare. With Sibanda playing a brilliant knock, a 250+ score looked possible, but Yuzvendra Chahal turned the game in just one over. Although Sibanda got the better of the leggie in the initial overs, Chahal kept at it and removed Sikandar Raza in the 26th over to bring India back into the game. He made it two in two with the next ball and trapped Elton Chigumbura before the stumps. Even though he did not get a hat-trick, Chahal took the price wicket of Sibanda a few overs later to effectively end Zimbabwe’s hopes of a big score. The right-hander went after a loopy wide leg-break, and just like Raza, he picked out the fielder at long-on. The rest of the tail was cleaned up quickly, and with Sean Williams not able to take the field after suffering a finger injury, India bundled out Zimbabwe for 126.

India needed 127 runs to secure a series win, and with just 2.54 runs needed per over, it was a stroll in the park for the Indian batsmen to stay the least. However, for Karun Nair, the innings started once again in a nervy fashion. Nair, who scored just seven runs in his debut innings, almost had another low score after he edged one from Chatara to the wicketkeeper. Fortunately for Karun Nair and India, the pacer had stepped over the line and gave him a reprieve. India were at 48/0 at the lunch break, and looked set for a ten-wicket victory before Chibhabha ended Rahul’s innings for 33. Rayudu joined Karun Nair at the crease, and the duo formed a fifty-run partnership to take India to the brink of a victory. Although Karun Nair fell two runs away from the win, Manish Pandey smashed a four in the first ball he faced to guide India to an eight-wicket victory. 

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