Harare: India, already boasting an unassailable lead, will look to complete a whitewash when they take on Zimbabwe in the third and final one-dayer here on Tuesday.
After a scratchy four-run victory in the opening game, India got their act together to thrash the hosts by 62 runs in the second game, riding on a solid all-round performance.
The areas that were causes of concern after the opening game were addressed quite well by the Indians in the second match.
The entire top order came good after a disappointing show in the opener. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (63), Murali Vijay (72) and Ambati Rayudu (41) laid the foundation for a good score. For Vijay, rated more of a Test batsman, it was his maiden fifty in his 16th One Day International (ODI).
But, in a setback for India, the in-form Rayudu has been ruled out of the remainder of the tour after picking up a quadricep injury that will require two to three weeks of rehabilitation. Sanju Samson has been named as his replacement.
But Manish Pandey could be the one making his ODI debut on Tuesday as Samson is unlikely to reach here in time for the match.
After the batsmen came good, the bowlers performed well to outwit the Zimbabweans.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the lot as he snared four scalps, while senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also bowled with discipline to return fine figures of 1/29 in his 10 overs.
India will be looking for a similarly clinical performance to wrap up the short series before the pair of Twenty20 Internationals scheduled immediately after.
Zimbabwe will look to rediscover the spark they showed in the first game. On the brighter side, the home bowlers have not allowed the Indian batsmen to score all that freely, although they have failed to maintain the pressure consistently.
