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This article was first published 10 years ago

Can India seal Zimbabwe series today?

Last updated on: July 28, 2013 09:50 IST

Image: India's captain Virat Kohli (right) and Suresh Raina
Photographs: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

The young Team India will aim for a victory in the third One-day International against Zimbabwe and seal the five-match series on Sunday.

India has a clean slate in the tournament, with a 2-0 lead. And both victories were emphatic.

Bowling loopholes

Image: Suresh Raina with Ravindra Jadeja

India will look to plug their bowling loopholes. Their pacers were inconsistent in both the earlier matches.

R Vinay Kumar was quite expensive and Mohammed Shami also far from impressive.

Jaydev Unadkat is one of the most successful bowlers in the series, while Ravindra Jadeja has maintained his good form and been impressive.

Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina failed to impress

Image: Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli and man-in-form Shikhar Dhawan have played a vital role in India’s victories and Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik contributed with a half-century each.

But Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, though, failed with the bat and will be looking to make an impression on Sunday.

Captain Kohli needs to remain calm

Image: India's captain Virat Kohli reacts as he walks off the field after his dismissal
Photographs: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters

For Team India to carry on the good form, they need their captain Kohli to remain calm.

The young skipper has the tendency to lose his cool easily and engage in on-field altercations with the umpires.

Kohli can take a leaf out of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who remains calm in pressure situations, which was crucial to his successful leadership.

Zimbabwe batsmen faced Indian attack with aplomb

Image: Brendon Taylor
Photographs: Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters

Zimbabwe hasn't put up a bad show, as the scoreline in the series suggests. The hosts scored 200-plus runs in the last two matches and made the Indians toil in both.

Their batsmen -- from opener Vusi Sibanda to lower-order batter Prosper Utseya -- faced the Indian attack with aplomb.

The Indians would like to first wrap the series and then give an opportunity to some of the bench players.

In case India take a 3-0 lead, batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, and Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Parveez Rasool may get a chance in the playing eleven for the remaining two matches.