India defeat Zimbabwe by 62 runs to take unassailable 2-0 lead
After losing the toss and asked to bat first, India’s openers played with patience to score 112 for the first wicket partnership.
Both Ajinkya Rahane (63) and Murali Vijay (72) score important half-centuries to set a platform for their side.
Man-of-the-Match in the last game, Ambati Rayadu chipped in with 41 runs off 50 deliveries. Manoj Tiwary (22) and Robin Uthappa (13) failed to convert their starts while Stuart Binny (25) and Kedar Jadhav (16) perished in the quest to increase the run rate. India managed a decent 271 for the loss of 8 wickets in their stipulated 50 overs.
Zimbabwe’s skipper Elton Chigumbura used as many as eight bowlers to restrict the run flow. Neville Madziva was the pick of them, picking up 4 wickets for 49 runs in 10 overs. Brian Vitori, Donald Tiripano, Chamu Chibhabha and Sikandar Raza picked up a piece each.
Resuming their batting after the first innings break Zimbabwe didn’t get off to the best of starts. They lost their first wicket for 24 and could never really get going since. Opener Chamu Chibhabha scored 72 off 100 deliveries, the rest failed to provide him with any support.
Richmond Mutumbami (32) tried scoring quickly towards the end but perished in the process. He along with Graeme Cremer scored 52 for the 6th wicket. With his departure it was just a matter of time for the visitors to take a 2-0 lead. The Zimbabwe innings ended in the 49th over with a score of 209 on the board.
The Indian bowlers rectified their mistakes from the 1st ODI and put up a much decent performance. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was by far the best bowler in the match. The medium pacer gave away just 33 runs and picked up 4 wickets while bowling 3 maiden overs in his quota of 10 overs.
Veteran off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh, who made a comeback into the shorter formats after almost 2 years, bowled an economical spell to keep things tight for the hosts. The ‘Turbunator’ gave away just 29 runs while picking up a wicket in his 10 overs.
Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny and Axar Patel accounted for a scalp each.
Murali Vijay was adjudged the Man-of-the Match for his 72 runs.
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