Ajinkya Rahane-led India humble Zimbabwe by 62 runs, seal ODI series 2-0

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India beat Zimbabwe by 62 runs in the second ODI at Harare on Sunday, sealing the three-match series 2-0 in the process. The hosts were bowled out for just 209 runs after India posted a formidable 271/8 in their first innings considering the nature of the pitch.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with figures of 4/33 while opener Murali Vijay was awarded Man of the Match for his knock of 72 off 95 balls.

For Zimbabwe, Chamu Chibhabha was the lone warrior with an impressive knock of 72 off 100 balls.

The series win is being seen as a huge feather in the cap for 27-year-old stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has shown a maturity beyond his years in Zimbabwe.

“We were looking for 280-290 but we still batted pretty well and the partnership between me and Vijay was crucial along with the one later on with Rayudu. The wicket was slow early-on but got even slower in the second innings and we have a good experienced attack with quality spinners. It wasn’t easy for batting but we bowled well. Our bowlers were upto the mark, they bowled in right areas and fielding was right up there,” Rahane said at the presentation ceremony.

The Indian cricket team was under a lot of fire after losing an ODI series to Bangladesh before the Zimbabwe tour. That happened despite the presence of veterans such as Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin, who have all been rested in this tour.

India need to win the last ODI against Zimbabwe to retain the second spot in the team rankings.

 

 

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