Zimbabwe vs India 2013: Five talking points

India began the five match series against Zimbabwe with an expected win but it required a scintillating knock from the Indian captain to bury the game. Virat Kohli‘s 15th ODI century came when India had stumbled to 57/2 in their chase of a target of 229.

Earlier, India won the toss and chose to field on a surface that promised a bit of lateral movement early on and was expected to ease out to the benefit of the batsman as the day went on. India handed out debuts to Jaidev Unadkat and Ambati Rayudu.

Zimbabwe were determined to play out the first hour of the game as they survived a threatening spell of bowling to get a steady start. The opening partnership put up 72 runs but in almost 22 overs. They failed to get the momentum from thereon as Indian spinners applied the brakes and excepting the aggressive knock of Elton Chigumbura who scored 43 runs of 34 balls Zimbabwe could have slumped to a total of below 200. Sikandar Raza top-scored for Zimbabwe with a respectable innings of 82 of 112 balls.

India retained the opening pairing of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. They started steadily but Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed by Kyle Jarvis against the run of play as he was tempted into a pull shot. Rohit Sharma followed him soon after to leave the captain in a potentially difficult situation. Ambati Rayudu, batting at number four in his debut match, played second fiddle to Virat Kohli thereon as he systematically dismantled the Zimbabwe bowling attack to take India to the victory.

Here are five talking points generated from the game:

5. Zimbabwe can be competitive

Zimbabwe were conservative in their approach with the bat this morning as they looked to be in awe of the world champions. The opening pair had to survive through a period when the ball was doing quite a bit but they could have opened up after the 10-12 over mark but the chose to conserve wickets.

They were scoring at just over 3 runs per over at the end of 22 overs which was never going to lead to a 250+ total unless you had MS Dhoni down the order. They managed to put 229 on board, which is not a bad effort considering the likes of Masakadza and Taylor did not contribute significantly with the bat. They managed to get a few wickets early on in the game and another wicket or two could have produced a different scorecard. It will be interesting to see if Zimbabwe can bat equally well while chasing under the pressure of a target.

4. Indian Pace Battery

The Indian pace battery was entirely second string as the likes of Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav have been rested. Vinay Kumar is not express pace but he derived a lot of lateral movement with the new ball that had the Zimbabwean batsman poking at thin air.

They were fortunate to survive the spell but the point is being repeatedly made that India fail to get early wickets in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and that was true of this game too. He was expensive at the latter end of the innings.

Shami Ahmed threatened a lot more with his ability to exponentially increase his threat by throwing in the odd short length ball pushing the batsmen on the back foot. He finished with figures of 45/1 in his 10 overs. Unadkat was the pick of the fast bowlers as he deceived the batsmen with his odd slower delivery while constantly cramping them for room.

The lack of wicket-taking deliveries in this innings was a worry and the fact that there are a few more bowlers waiting for their chance in the margins we might see a bit of chopping and changing in this series.

3. The Opening Pair

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have already put together a few century run stands in their brief spell in international cricket as an opening pair. They were retained in the side despite the presence of more openers in the squad indicating that more consistent performances were demanded of them.

They failed to do so in this match. Shikhar Dhawan has exhibited a vulnerability to the short ball prior to this game. He was dismissed attempting an aggressive shot on one that came at him unexpectedly. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, looked steady on the wicket for a better part of 13 over before throwing his wicket away once again. He has often failed to rotate strike as much as possible and that proves to be his downfall. The pair needs to put in consistent performances.

2. Amit Mishra’s Spell

The leg-spinner has lived out a large part of his career on the margins of the Indian team in spite of unquestionable talent and ability. He traveled with the Indian team to England for the Champions Trophy and to the West Indies for the tri-Nation trophy as well but failed to get a single game.

That kind of treatment can often leave a player demotivated but Amit Mishra was on the money now that he was given his opportunity. He finished with figures of 3/43 in his 10 overs which included the critical dismissal that broke the first partnership. He flighted the ball without fear and derived spin from the surface allowing the googly to be effective when it was eventually employed as a surprise delivery. He should get a regular part to play in this series.

1. Virat Kohli’s Century

The captain of the Indian team proved that he was given the job for a reason. The elan with which he carried out the rescue job for India in the chase was reminiscent of the ease with which MS Dhoni controls the innings. The batting style of the two batsmen in poles apart but the comfort and the trust they evoke in the Indian cricket fan is comparable.

His innings of 115 (half-the-target) contained 14 boundaries including one six. He dominated the spinners using his feet to great effect and donned a devastating character after getting his half-century. India can rest assured that they will complete a whitewash as long as the captain continues to lead from the front.