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Harare: In the past few years, India has toured Zimbabwe with a second-string team with the purpose of providing enough opportunity for their fringe players and youngsters who did well in the Indian Premier, and to assess how they excel at the highest level.
And in the one week the inexperienced lot took the field against Zimbabwe, they proved that they are more than ready to play the game at the international stage.
Unfortunately, same cannot be said of their opposition, the first-choice Zimbabwe team. Three Zimbabwe players in the series have over 76 ODI appearances and that is more than what the members of Indian squad - leaving aside MS Dhoni - have played combined.
Yet the ODI series turned out to be a massive mismatch, as was evident from the third and the final ODI on Wednesday in which India chased down a target of 123 in just 21.5 overs and ten wickets to spare.
KL Rahul impressed once again with an unbeaten 70-ball 63-run knock, while debutant Faiz Fazal capitalised on the only opportunity he may get in the tour with a confident 55 not out off 61 balls, after Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling unit had restricted Zimbabwe to the lowest total (123) in the series.
In a day and age were scores of 350 - irrespective of the conditions - are a regular feature, Zimbabwe managed scores of 168, 126/9 and 123 in the series.
Rahul and Fazal started the chase in a cautious manner but picked up steam once they got their eye in. They were in no hurry and they were not hurried on either by Zimbabwe bowlers.
Rahul picked singles all around the wicket, while Fazal played some eye-catching drives on the offside that was elegance personified - something he is known for in the Indian domestic circuit. The duo took India past the 50-run mark in the 14th over, courtesy Rahul's three consecutive fours off Tawanda Mupariwa.
Rahul scored his fifty off 58 balls in the 19th over and in the same over Fazal hit two fours - first a drive through extra cover and then pulls towards the fine leg - to bring up India's 100. Soon after, Fazal reached the fifty-run landmark on his debut off 58 balls and the duo took India home with 28.1 overs to spare.
For the second time in the series, Zimbabwe's middle-order imploded emphatically to negate the good work down by the top order.
On a the best batting pitch on offer in the series, Zimbabwe skipper Graeme Cremer opted to bat and Vusi Sibanda (38) and Chamu Chibhabha (27) put in the hard work early on by taking their team to a decent position, albeit in a slow manner, but their efforts were undone in tremendous scenes.
Four wickets fell in four balls, the last seven for 19 runs.
From 104 for 3 in 32.4 overs, Zimbabwe lost six wickets for just six runs with Bumrah (4/22) claiming four of them. After bolwing four overs up front, Bumrah gave away three runs in the first over of his second spell - the 31st over of the innings.
In his second over, Bumrah got one to swung back in sharply and Timycen Maruma (17) had his stumps disturbed. Off the next ball, Bumrah induced an edge off Elton Chigumbura with a fuller one and Dhoni pouched an easy catch - making him the first Indian wicketkeeper in the process to reach 350 ODI dismissals.
The free-fall had started. In the next over bowled by Axar Patel, Waller ran himself out off the first ball. Axar then darted a faster one accurately at Cremer's pads and with that the hosts had lost four wickets in four balls. Bumrah claimed Richard Mutumbami and Tawanda Mupariwa, before Donald Tiripano and Neville Madziva added 13 to the total.
Brief scores:
Zimbabwe - 123 (Sibanda 38, Bumrah 4/22)
India - 126/0 (Rahul 63*, Fazal 55*)
Result - India won by 10 wickets
