Zimbabwe v India, 3rd ODI - 5 Talking Points

The Indians thrashed the hapless Zimbabweans out of sight with a 10-wicket win in the third ODI of the ZIM v IND series. Apart from the clean sweep, the icing on the cake came when debutante Faiz Fazal smash the winning runs to complete a 10-wicket win. Apart from some tight bowling from Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah concluded with his best figures in ODI cricket after snapping up four quick wickets. Chamu Chibhabha seemed to have a decent time with the bat as he had done in the tournament thus far. However, the collapse simply did not help as the Zimbabweans simply had no answer to the Indian juggernaut.

1. Faiz Fazal makes ODI debut:

While three Indian players had made their debuts thus far in the tournament, Faiz Fazal became the fourth debutant for India. The southpaw’s inclusion in the squad raised a few eyebrows. Fazal has been a revelation in the domestic circuit, in the Ranji Trophy especially. In spite of not playing in the IPL, Fazal’s domestic form saw him picked on the side. However, he hobbled off in the middle of the innings courtesy of a finger injury.

2. Chibhabha and Sibanda stitch valuable partnership:

Chamu Chibhabha and Vusi Sibanda have been Zimbabwe’s best batsmen by a country mile. Following the dismissal of Hamilton Masakadza in the opening powerplay, Sibanda and Chibhabha fought rather valiantly to keep the Indians at bay. They battled the Indian place battery of Kulkarni and Sran to bat for the better part of 15 overs. In spite of the collapse that followed, Chibhabha and Sibanda smashed 27 and 38 respectively as Zimbabwe looked poised to make a big score.

3. Zimbabwe middle-order dances to Burmah’s tune:

Timycen Maruma had done well to score the 17 runs that he had. However, little did he know that a Jasprit Bumrah onslaught was on its way. His wicket effectively triggered the collapse of the Zimbabwean middle and lower order. They crumbled like a terribly baked cookie, losing their last seven wickets for just 34 runs. Bumrah snapped up Sibanda by breaching his defenses. He was on a brink of a hat-trick, only for him to miss out. However, he concluded 4/22 in his 10 overs, a performance that saw him conclude with a match-winning performance.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: India crush Zimbabwe by 10 wickets, secure a 3-0 whitewash

4. KL Rahul notches up yet another half-century:

KL Rahul has been on a fluffy cloud of luck for the past few months. Having smashed a century in his first ODI, Rahul set India on the path of victory by playing the slow conditions to perfection. Rahul smashed 63 in 70 deliveries including 4 boundaries and 2 sixes, underlining his limited-overs’ credentials. Moreover, the 24-year old also concluded with the man of the series award as well courtesy of his 196 runs amassed in the series. He has also remained unbeaten in two of the three ODIs he played in.

5. Fazal makes debut count

At the age of 30, Faiz Fazal has finally got his call to arms. Despite being a late bloomer, Fazal grabbed his opportunity with both hands by achieving the rare feat of scoring an ODI half-century on debut. Although he was making his debut on paper, Fazal faced the Zimbabwe bowling as though he had faced it all his life. He played the ball with authority as he smashed the ball all over the park. His knock of 55 included 7 boundaries and a six as well as the winning runs.

How did the match pan out? – Zim v Ind, 3rd ODI Review: India whitewash Zimbabwe with another easy win