India defeated Zimbabwe by five wickets to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-ODI series.
Opting to bowl first, India bundled out the hosts for a paltry 161 in 38.1 overs. Shardul Thakur starred with the ball for the visitors, claiming three wickets by conceding 38 runs in his seven overs.
In reply, the Men in Blue overhauled the target in 25.4 overs. While the tourists lost their four wickets inside 100 runs, Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 43 off 39 balls eventually took them over the line with ease.
Speaking after the game, Rahul said they were not nervous at any stage during the chase and it was good for some of the batters to spend time in the middle.
“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 take some runs and confidence away, unfortunately didn't work out today,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“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,” he added.
The Indian skipper also thanked the Indian fans for their support in Harare.
“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.”
With this victory, India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The third and final ODI will be played at the same venue on Monday (August 22).
(With Cricbuzz inputs)