5 best batting performances by Indians in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe, despite being slightly weaker opposition, has put up some great show against India in the past. The ‘Men in Blue’ have faced some gritty challenges from the African nation which has brought the best from the visiting side. The 1998 tour is perhaps the best when we look back to the Indian-Zimbabwe cricketing history. The tour saw many memorable performances from both the sides. But, since then, it has been the Indians who usually dominated the African side. 1. Sachin Tendulkar – 127* at Bulawayo, 1998: India’s Sachin Tendulkar enjoys a moment of glory. (Photo by JORGE FERRARI/AFP/Getty Images) Batting first, the home side were all out for just 213. Indian did not have an ideal start to the chase, losing Sourav Ganguly cheaply at the start. The chase there after was a smooth ride for the Indians as Tendulkar along with Rahul Dravid tore apart the bowling attack with an 180 run stand for the 2nd wicket. The master blaster, who was at his prime during that time, went on to smash an unbeaten 127 runs off just 130 balls as India chase down the target in just 42.2 overs. Tendulkar for his match-winning effort was adjudged as the Man of the Match. 2. Sourav Ganguly – 107* at Bulawayo, 1998: India’s Saurav Ganguly. (Photo by MUFTY MUNIR/AFP/Getty Images) The 2nd ODI played at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo is best remembered for the dominating show put up by Sourav Ganguly while chasing a tricky target. The Zimbabweans, after been put into bat first, managed to set a functional target of 236 runs for the Indians to chase. The start was good for the visitors as Ganguly and Tendulkar shared a 44 run opening wicket stand before the latter departed in the 8th over. Ganguly then took charge of the chase and along with skipper Mohammad Azharuddin piled on 153 runs stand for the 3rd wicket to make the chase look easy-peasy. Ganguly played out the Zimbabwean bowlers smoothly and remained not out, finishing at 107 from 129 balls to ensure India wins the game without any worries. 3. Ambati Rayudu – 63* at Harare Sports Club, 2013 Ambati Rayudu. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Ambati Rayudu had a memorable ODI debut during the 2013 tour to Zimbabwe. The 1st ODI of the series, played at the Harare Sports Club, was a low-scoring affair which was lightened up by Virat Kohli’s sparkling century. Chasing 229 to win, India got off to a shaky start after losing Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan cheaply. However, Kohli then stood firmly in the middle and took India ahead in the game. The man who supported the free-flowing Delhite was Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu, who is considered as the rock in the middle order, played to his reputation and gave perfect support to Kohli, helping India chase down the target eventually. Kohli departed in the 42nd over just when a handful of runs were required to finish the game but Rayudu (63 from 84 balls) batted till the end and remained unbeaten. 4. Rahul Dravid – 72* at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, 2001 RAHUL DRAVID. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto/Getty Images) Rahul Dravid is generally known for his calm and defensive approach. But, that was not the case when Indian met Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club to play the 3rd game of the Coca-Cola Cup in 2001. The home side, after suffering an early setback, resurrected their innings wonderfully and managed to set a 235 runs target in front of India. India lost Tendulkar prematurely and the chase suffered a huge dent when the well set Ganguly was also removed by Flower. The fall of Ganguly triggered a middle order collapse. However, there was one guy who was counter attacking with great success – Rahul Dravid. Dravid, who came in at number four batted outstandingly and helped India sail smoothly past the finishing line. He first steadied the chasing effort with Ganguly and later donned the role of the aggressor after his skipper’s departure. He finished the game scoring 72 runs off 64 balls, helping India seal the match with four wickets in hand. 5. Yuvraj Singh – 120 at Harare Sports Club, 2005 Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh. (Photo by DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP/Getty Images) This was a innings which Yuvraj Singh fans would count as one of his best. The Indians were asked to chase an 250 run to win by the hosts. However, the chase began horribly as the top order collapsed terribly. An upset looked on cards as India were reeling at 36/4 and later 91/5 at the halfway stage of the first innings. Yuvraj Singh, however, embraced the pressure situation and rescued the Indian from the difficult situation. He found an able support in MS Dhoni (67). Together with his future skipper, he put up a match-defining 158 runs for the 6th wicket. Courtesy to this fighting effort from Yuvraj, India eventually chased down the target in style with four wickets in hand. Yuvraj was adjudged as the ‘Man of the Match’ for his 120 off 124 balls.

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5 best batting performances by Indians in Zimbabwe

**3. Ambati Rayudu – 63* at Harare Sports Club, 2013**

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