Quite bizarre in the end with Chahal being named 'Player of the series' while Rahul was given the 'Man of the series' award. Ah, well. The demands of the sponsors, you see. Anyway, that's a wrap from us on that note. Hope you enjoyed the coverage. We certainly enjoyed bringing it to you. Do join us for the T20Is that start on June 18. Until then, it's goodbye from all of us here. Cheers!
Presentation:
KL Rahul is the Player of the Match and the Man of the series "I always knew I had the game to do well in every format. It was just a matter of time. The last couple of months have been really good. To come out here and perform the way I have is really pleasing. Credit to our bowlers for make our job easy. I knew I could go out there, take my time and play proper cricketing shots. It was a challenge for me to remain calm and play my natural game. I'm not thinking about West Indies yet. What's on my mind right now is to switch to the T20 format."
MS Dhoni: I think the execution has been really good, and that's the key factor. The fast bowlers and the spinners took wickets and put pressure, so I'm happy with the bowling performance. I don't mind winning games easily, that's what you are supposed to do. Yes, it would have been nice if a few of the other batsmen would have had a break. I think after a long time, I will take some time off cricket after this series (T20Is). Don't think my daughter still recognises me.
Yuzvendra Chahal: "There was a bit of pressure initially, but things settled down after that. The wickets were a touch slow, and the outfield was big, so that helped."
Graeme Cremer: We didn't see through the new ball to put up 260-270 which we thought was par. We got stuck in middle period, and then lost grip. We just couldn't rotate strike, and that put pressure on our batsmen. We have a T20I squad, and we know we can challenge good teams on our day. We'll have to pick ourselves up to try and compete in that series.
Who's favourite to win a shooting medal for India at Rio? Vijay Kumar, silver medalist four years ago, makes his pick on our sister site ESPN.in.
James : "Be interesting to see who gets Man of the series. Rahul (196 runs for once out) and Bumrah (9 wickets at 8.55 each) would seem to be the main contenders." Without doubt. My pick is Bumrah. Let's see
Kiran: "This series is a let down for Indian selectors in terms of the utility of this series. Rahul who was already knock on the ODI door is a confirmation, but no opportunities for those in the middle order to distinguish themselves." Well yes, there's the argument that they could have batted first to test themselves. It's a fine line, sure.
2.20pm So, the series has been wrapped up 3-0 without India breaking into a sweat at any stage. What a lovely moment, that in the end - KL Rahul handed over a stump to Faiz Fazal soon after the winning runs were hit. This has been a cakewalk for India. Zimbabwe have a lot of soul-searching to do if they are to mount a challenge in the T20Is.
Vijay P: "Zimbabwe should have put India to bat and chased - at least to try something new. Inexperienced Indian batters might have struggled to put runs on board not knowing when to accelerate etc. Could have been worth a shot."
Rohan: "Series Summary: Zimbabwe: 417/30 in 126 overs. India: 428/3 in 90.3 overs" Thanks for the overs update, Amar.
pravsrinivasan: "Not to mention close to half of the 427 runs have come from Rahul's bat"
END OF OVER:21 | 4 Runs | IND: 113/0 (11 runs required from 29 overs, RR: 5.38, RRR: 0.37)
- Faiz Fazal51 (60b)
- KL Rahul54 (66b)
- Donald Tiripano5-1-15-0
- Chamu Chibhabha1-0-2-0
"Chibhabha, who has easily been Zimbabwe's best bowler this series, has been introduced in the 20th over, when it's way too late to tie up their shoelaces. Tactically and performance-wise, Cremer has been found wanting. Experience alone doesn't make leaders. I would still vote for Chiggy to be skipper of this leaky Zimbabwean ship."
Kiran: "Fazal, especially when driving, reminds me of Gambhir. Very similar styles. "
END OF OVER:20 | 2 Runs | IND: 109/0 (15 runs required from 30 overs, RR: 5.45, RRR: 0.50)
- KL Rahul52 (63b)
- Faiz Fazal49 (57b)
- Chamu Chibhabha1-0-2-0
- Tawanda Mupariwa6-0-43-0