After a commanding performance at Mohali that saw India's batsmen notch up320 in 50 overs, the same line-up of batsmen slumped to 191 all out at Kochi. Ifthe last game was a demonstration of how to bat the opposition out of a game,the third one-dayer was an example of how to shoot oneself in the foot.
Electing to bat first, a series of loose strokes at the top of the order sawIndia relinquish the advantage to a disciplined, determined Zimbabwe. Zimbabweapplied themselves during their batting display as well, winning the encounterby six wickets and taking a valuable 2-1 lead in this five-match series.
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Things began to go wrong for India when Dinesh Mongia was dismissed in justthe fourth over of the day. It would be fair, however, to say that Mongia wasunlucky to be adjudged lbw to medium-pacer Douglas Hondo. Mongia (4) lookeddisappointed, and replays suggested that the ball may have pitched outside theleg-stump.
VVS Laxman breezed in and out of the middle. Cover-driving as though it werethe easiest task in the world, Laxman got the Kochi crowd on their feet andcheering. But, as it often is with things of exceptional beauty or grace, thejoy was only fleeting. After making 20 in 24 balls with three fours, Laxmanslashed a wide one from Hondo through to keeper Tatenda Taibu.
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Just when consolidation was the order of the day, with India struggling on38/2, Sourav Ganguly came down the wicket and attempted to deposit a Hondodelivery into the nearby Arabian Ocean. Ganguly missed, Hondo hit, and Indiawere in strife at 49/3 in the 12th over.
Rahul Dravid, often the man to take India out of the woods, was tempted intoplaying a late cut off Mpumelelo Mbangwa. The ball slid off the face of the batand appeared to be beating Craig Wishart at a deep slip position. Out flashedthe hands, late, quick and in perfect place to snap up a brilliant catch. Dravid(6) had to shake his head in amazement as he walked back to the pavilion.
Mohammad Kaif has waited a long while to get an extended run in the Indianteam, all the while working hard on his fitness and battling on the domesticcircuit. He showed at Kochi that he is a valuable component of this Indian team.Batting with great application and determination, Kaif compiled 56 (78 balls, 2fours, 1 six), leading India to a score of 191 - something that looked extremelyunlikely earlier in the day.
After failing with the bat in the first two games of this series and scoringa total of zero runs from three balls in two innings, Sanjay Bangar (36 runs, 67balls 3 fours) was under some pressure to come good. The all-rounder was shapingto make a serious contribution when he came down the track and hit a DouglasMarillier full-toss straight down the throat of Hondo on the mid-wicket fence.
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When Bangar was dismissed, with 137 on the board, wickets began to fall withalarming regularity. After the fall of Kaif, just 34 runs were added as Indiaset Zimbabwe a target of 192 for victory. Hondo (4/32) will remember this dayfor many years to come, and rightly so. The medium-pacer, playing his first gameof this series, bowled with good control and troubled batsmen consistently,earning his Man of the Match award.
India began well enough in defence of a virtually indefensible score. AjitAgarkar and Zaheer Khan bowled with pace, zip and accuracy to remove the firsttwo wickets with just 39 runs on the board.
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But those were really the last moments of cheer for the home side.
Alistair Campbell, content to seal up one end, batted with common sense,while Grant Flower was the ideal foil in the middle overs. Even the introductionof Harbhajan Singh did not faze the pair. Campbell, setting his stalls out for along knock, did not mind biding his time.
Grant Flower, almost permanently in the shadow of his brother, is really anunderrated cricketer. With Andy Flower absent, brother Grant was promoted up theorder, and he shouldered the responsibility admirably. Using his feet well,Grant Flower worked the ball away into the gaps on the leg-side with ease, goingfor the big hit every now and then.
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After reaching his half-century, Campbell seemed to open up a bit more,playing some exquisite strokes through the on-side. A cover drive off SarandeepSingh stood out, with Campbell leaning well into the off-side to execute thestroke perfectly. It was, however, the same man who brought about Campbell'sdismissal.
How many times do we see a batsman do all the hard work in setting up a teamvictory before throwing it away just when the job was near completion? Campbelldeserved a century, if not at least a big unbeaten fifty, but he fell on 71 (119balls, 7 fours) as he paved the way for a six-wicket Zimbabwe win at theJawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
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In the 34th over of the innings, Campbell jumped down the track to Sarandeepand was beaten both in the flight and off the wicket. He could only look back indismay as Ajay Ratra whipped off the bails.
By the time Campbell was dismissed, Zimbabwe had reached 144/3 and neededonly a further 48 runs for victory. But Campbell did enter an exclusive clubduring his innings - he became just the third Zimbabwean to score 5000 one-dayruns when he heaved Dinesh Mongia into the mid-wicket stands.
Grant Flower, not looking for anything beyond a safe ride home for Zimbabwe,motored along to 49 (88 balls, 7 fours) before nicking one from Agarkar throughto keeper Ajay Ratra. He was unlucky to miss a half-century, but that will notfuss Grant Flower too much.
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Eventually, Craig Wishart (17) clattered two sixes, and Zimbabwe clinchedvictory by six wickets in 44.2 overs, taking a vital 2-1 lead and ensuring thatthe next one-dayer - at Hyderabad - will see India under immense pressure to winand stay alive in the series.
