"Zimbabwe bowlers came strong at us": KL Rahul after 5-wkt win

HARARE: Following his side’s five-wicket win against Zimbabwe in the second ODI, Indian skipper KL Rahul said that the hosts’ came strong on Men in Blue with their bowling and presented a good challenge for the visitors.

Top knocks from Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan coupled with strong bowling from Team India crushed Zimbabwe by five wickets in the second ODI of the three-match series here on Saturday.

“(On whether he was nervous during the chase) Not really, we do bat deep. Good for some of the guys to get time in the middle. I do need some time in the middle, obviously playing this series was important for me to make some runs. Unfortunately, did not work out today,” said Rahul in the post-match presentation.

“They do have some quality bowlers, I saw that in the previous series against Bangladesh as well. The bowlers came strong at us, a good challenge for us. We are here to play good cricket and win, every opportunity is an honour, so we want to go out there next time also to enjoy ourselves and put a good performance. Wherever we travel, we get good support from Indian fans, very thankful for their support,” he added.

With this victory, India has a 2-0 lead in the series with one match to go.

Zimbabwe were bundled out for 161 in just 38.1 overs. Sean Williams (42) and Ryan Burl (41*) put on some fight but Indian bowlers got consistent wickets. Shardul Thakur took 3/38 for India. Siraj, Krishna, Kuldeep, Hooda and Axar Patel got one wicket each.

Chasing 162, India lost KL Rahul early for just one. Following this, Shikhar Dhawan (33) and Shubman Gill (33) rebuilt the innings. A 42-run stand between the two was broken after Tanaka Chivanga trapped Dhawan. Ishan Kishan and Gill continued forming a 36-run stand. Kishan (6) and Gill fell quickly to Luke Jongwe (2/33) and it gave India a scare. But a 56-run stand between Sanju Samson (43*) and Deepak Hooda (25) took Men in Blue home, though Hooda was dismissed just a few balls before the win.

Samson was adjudged as ‘Man of the Match’ for his 43* off 39 balls.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 161 in 38.1 overs (Sean Williams 42, Ryan Burl 41*, Shardul Thakur 3/38) lost to India 167/5 in 25.4 overs (Sanju Samson 43*, Shubman Gill 33, Luke Jongwe 2/33).