IND vs ZIM 2022, 2nd ODI: Thakur, Samson ensure unassailable 2-0 lead for India, Twitter proud
India took on Zimbabwe in the second ODI in Harare on Saturday and came up with a spirited performance to win the tie by five wickets, thus taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
FollowIt was a spirited performance from Team India, as it tamed Zimbabwe by five wickets in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday. As a result of this win, the Indians have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series. The final match will be played at the same venue on Monday, as the visitors aim for another emphatic clean sweep. Considering this tie, the Zimbabweans did provide some fightback compared to the opening game. But, the scoreboard total was too low to be defended against the classy batting line-up of the Men in Blue.
Winning the toss, Indian skipper KL Rahul again opted to field while he made a surprise change, replacing pacer Deepak Chahar with fellow pacer Shardul Thakur. Although the Zimbabweans tried to play with wickets in hand, losing just a wicket in the form of Takudzwanashe Kaitano (7), who fell to pacer Mohammed Siraj in the ninth over of the Powerplay at 20, it was off to a stagnant start.
ALSO READ:Â JHULAN GOSWAMI TO RETIRE - CHECK OUT 5 FACTS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT HER
It was down to 31/4 by the 13th before Sikandar Raza (16) and Sean Williams (42) added 41 for the fifth wicket. The latter was dismissed by off-spinner Deepak Hooda in the 21st, while there were some small partnerships thereon. But, they were not convincing enough, as the hosts were shot out for 161 by the 39th, while Ryan Burl remained unbeaten on 39.
As for the Indians, Thakur bagged three, while Siraj was heavily economical. In reply, India began on a slightly jittery note, losing a couple by the seventh, at 47, while eventually, it was down to 97/4 by the 14th. Nonetheless, Deepak Hooda (25) and wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson (43*) added 56 for the fifth wicket to keep India firmly in the chase.
ALSO READ:Â 'I don't go with any particular mantra when I play the game' - Rohit Sharma
In the 24th, Deepak was cleaned up by off-spinner Raza, but it was too late as India got the job done with ease, winning by five wickets within the 26th and taking the unassailable 2-0 lead. For Zimbabwe, pacer Luke Jongwe claimed a couple, while Raza was economical. As for the records:
- Deepak Hooda has won all the 16 ODIs he has played in, making it the longest winning streak for a player.
- It was India's fastest ODI win in terms of balls to spare (146), having lost five wickets or more.
Brief scores: ZIM 161 in 38.1 overs (Williams- 42; Thakur- 3/38) lost to IND 167/5 in 25.4 overs (Samson- 43*; Jongwe- 2/33) by five wickets.
