Zimbabwe shocked India by six wickets in the first match of the Zimbabwe Triangular series which also features Sri Lanka.
Craig Ervine and Brendan Taylor hit meaningful half-centuries as the hosts overhauled the 286-run target in the penultimate over after Rohit Sharma hit his maiden century in One-Day Internationals (ODI) to lead India to a competitive total.
Zimbabwe were never in much bother as Hamilton Masakadza and Taylor added 88 for the first wicket in 13 overs before Greg Lamb continued the good work with Taylor to take the score to 151. Even after two quick wickets, India’s attack never threatened the hosts with Ervine ensuring a comfortable win.
The performance overshadowed Sharma’s century that put India in the driving seat after they were 61 for three. Suresh Raina, leading the side in absence of MS Dhoni, added 67 with Sharma before Ravindra Jadeja arrived to put the Zimbabwean bowlers to the sword. Sharma hit six boundaries and four sixes while Jadeja hit five boundaries to take India to 285.
Published in the Express Tribune, May 29th, 2010.
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