India completed a 3-0 series whitewash with a resounding 83-run win in the third ODI against Zimbabwe. After an unbeaten century by Kedar Jadhav (105*) and a well compiled 71 by Manish Pandey on debut lifted India to 276 for five, Stuart Binny and co. bowled India to win by wrapping-up the hosts for 193. The all-rounder claimed three while Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each.
Pandey and Jadhav put together 144 runs for the fifth wicket to bail India out after the visitors were left wobbling on 82 for four. Capitalising on the opportunity he had received after being let off on 41, Jadhav helped set the stage for a complete a whitewash in the series.
After losing the toss once again, Rahane and Murali Vijay got India off to a calm start but looked in good nick as they took measure of the conditions. However, the Indian captain departed striking Neville Madziva to Prosper Utseya at cover point and his partner followed him back an over later. The pacer forced an edge from the opener through to the wicketkeeper leaving the visitors on 33 for two.
Coming in to bat at No. 3 in the absence of Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa then toiled to stitch a partnership with Manoj Tiwary and give India a platform. However, 35 runs later the middle-order bat walked back after hitting the ball back to Utseya. That brought Pandey to the crease, but Hamilton Masakadza claimed Uthappa to keep the fourth wicket partnership from building. The top-order batsman’s mistimed hit found Elton Chigumbura at mid-on leaving the side on 82 for four.
Pandey then found an able ally in Jadhav and the pair watchfully built a partnership to seize the advantage from the hosts. Jadhav found the fence at regular intervals as they kept collecting ones and twos without taking too many risks.
Going neck-and-neck both batsmen approached their maiden half-centuries while steadily adding to the total. Pandey was the first to get there with a boundary behind point off Donald Tiripano and Jadhav, the more aggressive of the two, soon followed him to the mark.
The flourishing partnership however ended with 19 balls left in the innings. Pandey holed out to long on and Sikandar Raza diving forward took the catch. Undeterred Jadhav then slammed Chibhabha past point for four and struck Tiripano for a hat-trick of boundaries in the next. Binny too gave the charge to the bowlers even as Jadhav milked them. Handed the strike with two balls left and the century in site, Jadhav swung his bat to hit Madziva over the top and got there with a six. The pair then added three more off the last ball to set Zimbabwe a 277-run target.
Opening the bowling for India, Bhuvneshwar bowled a tight off-stump line while Mohit Sharma too kept the Zimbabwe openers on their toes.
Replacing Dhawal Kulkarni in the team, Mohit dealt the first blow by trapping Masakadza lbw with 16 runs on the board. However, Chamu Chibhabha led Zimbabwe’s fight back and with Regis Chakabva he built a 70-run stand until Axar castled the latter.
Three overs later, Vijay had Chigumbara lbw off his first delivery to give India a vital breakthrough. With Richmond Mutumbami, Chibhabha worked to repair the damage. With the pair gleaning runs off the Indian attack the partnership began to take shape. Vijay dropped the opener on 71 at long-on. However, Binny accounted for Mutumbami to end the stand for 53. He returned to account for Chibhabha in his next over. The batsman lofted the ball straight into the hands of Jadhav. The pacer could have had Malcolm Waller’s wicket too in the over after forcing an edge from the batsman to Uthappa but the no-ball denied India another wicket.
Raza who had confidently struck Binny for a couple of boundaries then lost his off-stump to Harbhajan Singh in the next. The off-spinner was on hat-trick with the wicket of Cremer and had put India in the driver’s seat. New to the crease, the lower middle-order bat departed chipping the ball to short mid-wicket and Rahane took the catch diving forward.
The downward spiral continued for Zimbabwe. While Binny followed up with the wicket of Waller, Utseya top-edged Mohit high in the air and Uthappa took the catch. Patel then had Madziva stumped to end the match.
Man of the Match: Kedar Jadhav for his unbeaten maiden ODI century to set-up win for India.
Man of the Series: Ambati Rayudu for his consistent performance with the bat in the three-match ODI series.
