India beat Zimbabwe in 3rd ODI, sweep series 3-0
India beat Zimbabwe in the third ODI at the Harare Sports Club on Monday. The Men in Blue routed Zimbabwe 3-0 after successfully defending 289 in what turned out to be a final-over thriller. Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav shone with the ball. A valiant knock by Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza went in vain. Earlier, a magnificent century from Shubman Gill set up India's victory.
How did the match pan out?
Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan (40) and KL Rahul (30) started well after the latter elected to bat. The duo shared a 63-run stand before falling in quick succession. Gill slammed his maiden ODI century and shared a century stand with Ishan Kishan (50). However, India suffered a batting collapse, managing 289/8 eventually. Zimbabwe fell short (276/10) despite an astonishing knock from Raza (115).
A valiant knock from Raza
Raza came in the middle after Zimbabwe were tottering on 84/3. He shared crucial stands with Regis Chakabva and Luke Jongwe to keep the hosts afloat. Raza's partnership with Brad Evans nearly sailed Zimbabwe through. He then raced to his sixth century in ODI cricket, taking Zimbabwe to 275/9. The senior batter registered a third century in his last six innings in the format.
India's winning streak continues!
India have now won their last 15 ODIs versus Zimbabwe. Their last defeat to them came during the Triangular series featuring Sri Lanka in 2010. Notably, the Men in Blue have not lost a bilateral ODI to Zimbabwe since 2002. India boast a 54-10 win-loss record against Zimbabwe. As many as two games have resulted in a tie.
Fourth consecutive ODI series win for India
India have won their fourth consecutive ODI series since February this year. They also defeated West Indies (3-0 twice) and England (2-1) in this period. Earlier this year, South Africa routed India 3-0 in the ODI series.
Maiden ODI century for Gill
Gill came to the crease after skipper Rahul departed in the 15th over. The former was watchful at the start before Dhawan was dismissed. He then propelled the Indian innings along with Ishan Kishan. While the latter struggled to rotate the strike, Gill kept the scoreboard ticking. Gill brought up his maiden ODI century in the 44th over with a single.
Feats attained by Gill
Gill held one end even though he lost partners after the 40th over. The top-order batter finished with 130 off 97 balls (15 fours and 1 six). He has become the 18th Indian batter to slam an ODI century against Zimbabwe. Gill now has the second-highest score by an Indian batter in Zimbabwe in the format. He is only behind VVS Laxman (140).
Gill averages 71.28 in ODI cricket
Gill has raced to 499 runs from nine ODIs. He averages an incredible 71.28, having registered three fifties besides a century. He has recorded four scores of 50 or more in his last six ODIs (130, 33, 82*, 98*, 43, and 64).
Maiden ODI five-wicket haul for Evans
Right-arm seamer Brad Evans brought Zimbabwe back in the hunt in the first innings. He registered his maiden five-wicket haul in ODI cricket. Evans dismissed Rahul, Dhawan, Deepak Hooda, Gill, and Shardul Thakur. Evans was a touch expensive, having leaked 54 runs in 10 overs. His maiden ODI five-for came in his fifth ODI. He now has seven ODI wickets to his name.
