Video Discription |
Brendan Taylor experienced a final reminder of the challenges of playing for Zimbabwe in his last match before joining Kolpak. He showcased his batting prowess by scoring an impressive century to rescue Zimbabwe from a precarious position of 33 for 3. However, after his departure, Zimbabwe lost five wickets for just 52 runs. With the ball, Zimbabwe had India in trouble at 92 for 4, but their fielding let them down, resulting in a loss with eight balls to spare. This match proved to be India's toughest test so far in the tournament.
Taylor's remarkable innings of 138 runs from 110 balls marked the first instance of a Zimbabwean player scoring consecutive centuries in a World Cup. It set India a challenging target, but their top-order batsmen struggled. Suresh Raina, though, was dropped on 47 when the game hung in the balance, and he, along with MS Dhoni, guided India to their 10th consecutive World Cup victory.
Taylor, Zimbabwe's most reliable batsman, and his potential successor, Sean Williams, came together when the opposition fast bowlers were dominating. Although all three Indian pacers took a wicket each, Taylor and Williams staged a remarkable recovery, leaving India disappointed with the final total. Mohit Sharma's slower deliveries were particularly effective as India dismissed their sixth consecutive opponent. Mohit removed Taylor and Craig Ervine, while Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami accounted for the rest, preventing Zimbabwe from completing their full 50 overs. The three fast bowlers combined to take nine wickets for 139 runs.
However, Zimbabwe targeted the spinners on the small Eden Park ground. R Ashwin's figures of 1 for 75 were his most expensive in ODIs, and Ravindra Jadeja went wicketless while conceding 71 runs. Zimbabwe's comeback began against the spinners, with Dhoni dropping a challenging catch to his right. If India had dismissed Williams when he was on two, Zimbabwe would have been in trouble at 42 for 4.
Instead, Taylor and Williams went on to trouble India. Dhoni made tactical changes, including a unique field placement with a virtual long stop for Jadeja to counter the short boundary behind him. Taylor kickstarted the comeback with two reverse-swept boundaries in the 17th over, and Williams targeted Ashwin, hitting him for three sixes over midwicket. Ashwin finally had his revenge, dismissing Williams with a difficult return catch.
Taylor remained relentless, playing classic shots over mid-off and cover and unleashing powerful sweeps. He accelerated during the Powerplay, taking on Ashwin again and reaching his century in the 39th over. Taylor continued to dominate, hitting Jadeja for three fours and two sixes in the 41st over. However, Mohit Sharma's slower ball in the 42nd over induced an attacking shot from Taylor, resulting in a catch at mid-on. Ervine also fell victim to a similar delivery. The rest of Zimbabwe's batting struggled to support Taylor, and India entered their chase as favorites.
India faced early challenges as the new ball swung, and Zimbabwe's frontline bowlers were accurate. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, and Virat Kohli were all dismissed, leaving Dhoni and Raina at the crease. Raina had a tough start, but eventually played a key role in releasing India from Zimbabwe's grip. He hit consecutive sixes off Williams and brought up his fifth ODI hundred. Raina's calculated risks helped India maintain the required run rate without taking excessive risks.
The only hiccup for India came when Raina attempted a slog-sweep against Raza, but a dropped catch at backward square leg saved him. India continued to control the chase, and by the time Zimbabwe managed to create some pressure, the equation was down to 18 runs needed from 19 balls. Dhoni sealed the victory with a pulled six.
#cricket
#cricketworldcup
#icc
#iccworldcup2015
#icccricketworldcup
#menscricket
#cwc
#cricketworldcup2015
#cwc15
#dhoni
#raina
#msdhoni
#sureshraina
#suresh
#BrendanTaylor
#india
#ind
#indvszim
#indiavszimbabwe
#indvszim2015
#indvszim15
#indiavszimbabwe2015
#viratkohli
#virat
#kohli
#ravindrajadeja
#shami
#partnership
#cricketpartnership
#rainaanddhoni
#dhoniandraina |