Indian cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2005

2022-05-17T12:53:32Z

103.166.188.70:

{{EngvarB|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox cricket tour
| series_name = Indian cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2005
| team1_image = Flag of India.svg
| team1_name = India
| team2_image = Flag of Zimbabwe.svg
| team2_name = Zimbabwe
| from_date = 9 July
| to_date = 22 September 2005
| team1_captain = [[Sourav Ganguly]]
| team2_captain = [[Tatenda Taibu]]
| no_of_tests = 2
| team1_tests_won = 2
| team2_tests_won = 0
| team1_tests_most_runs = [[Rahul Dravid]] (175)
| team2_tests_most_runs = [[Andy Blignaut]] (127)
| team1_tests_most_wickets = [[Irfan Pathan]] (21)
| team2_tests_most_wickets = [[Heath Streak]] (6)<br>[[Blessing Mahwire]] (6)
| player_of_test_series = [[Irfan Pathan]] (Ind)
}}
The '''Indian cricket team''' toured '''Zimbabwe''' for [[cricket]] matches in August and September '''2005'''. The [[Indian cricket team|Indians]] played in the [[Videocon Tri-Series 2005|Videocon Tri-Series]] in Zimbabwe, winning three of five matches but losing the final to finish second in the three-team tournament, and they played [[Zimbabwean cricket team|Zimbabwe]] for two [[Test cricket|Test matches]] in September 2005. The hosts Zimbabwe were ninth out of ten teams in the [[ICC Test Championship]], with their last win against the top eight Test nations coming in June 2001, against India. They did not manage to win a match here either, as India, led by the performances of [[fast bowling|fast bowler]] [[Irfan Pathan]] (who took 21 wickets), won the series 2–0 after an innings win in the first Test and a 10-wicket win in the second. India consolidated their third place in the Test championship with the win, which was also their first series win in Zimbabwe in four attempts.

This was also the final Test match contested in [[Zimbabwe cricket team|Zimbabwe]] before the team was suspended from [[Test cricket]].<ref name="OTD">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/149751.html |title=The second tied Test |access-date=22 September 2017 |work=ESPN Cricinfo}}</ref>

==Squads==

* '''India''': [[Sourav Ganguly]] [[captain (cricket)|(captain)]], [[Dinesh Karthik]] ([[wicket-keeper]]) [[Ajit Agarkar]], [[Lakshmipathy Balaji]], [[Rahul Dravid]], [[Gautam Gambhir]], [[Harbhajan Singh]], [[Dheeraj Jadhav]], [[Mohammad Kaif]], [[Zaheer Khan]], [[Anil Kumble]], [[VVS Laxman]], [[Irfan Pathan]], [[Virender Sehwag]], [[Yuvraj Singh]]
* '''Zimbabwe''': [[Tatenda Taibu]] ([[captain (cricket)|captain]] and [[wicket-keeper]]), [[Andy Blignaut]], [[Charles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer)|Charles Coventry]], [[Keith Dabengwa]], [[Terry Duffin]], [[Dion Ebrahim]], [[Blessing Mahwire]], [[Hamilton Masakadza]], [[Waddington Mwayenga]], [[Heath Streak]], [[Brendan Taylor]], [[Prosper Utseya]], [[Sean Williams (cricketer)|Sean Williams]]

==Schedule==

{| width=50%
|-
! align="left" | Date
! align="left" | Match
! align="left" | Venue
|-
|| '''September'''<br>8–10 || <br>Zim Board XI v Ind, non-[[first class cricket|FC]] warm-up || <br>[[Mutare]]
|-
|| 13–17 || Zim v Ind, 1st Test || [[Bulawayo]]
|-
|| 20–24 || Zim v Ind, 2nd Test || [[Harare]]
|}

==ODI series==

{{see also|Videocon Tri-Series 2005}}

India won three of five matches in this tournament, beating Zimbabwe twice in the group stage (by 161 runs and four wickets), and New Zealand once, but they lost the final and thus finished second out of the three teams.

==First-class leg==

===Tour match: Zimbabwe Board XI v India, 8–10 September===

'''''Match drawn'''''

[[Dion Ebrahim]] fought off the bowling efforts of [[Zaheer Khan]], [[Lakshmipathy Balaji]] and [[Anil Kumble]] to make 169 for Zimbabwe Board XI against India – the only Zimbabwean top-order batsman to pass 20, although number nine [[Keith Dabengwa]] made 60. Zimbabwe declared on 294 for 9, Kumble having taken five for 48, while Khan and Balaji leaked runs. Then, [[Virender Sehwag]], [[Gautam Gambhir]] and [[Rahul Dravid]] made centuries, and India eased to 572 for 9, with [[Graeme Cremer]] picking up four wickets. Balaji picked up the wicket of [[Terry Duffin]] for 0, but [[Hamilton Masakadza]] and [[Brendan Taylor]] added 96 as Zimbabwe batted out for the draw.
[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/IND_IN_ZIM/SCORECARDS/IND_ZIM-BOARD-XI_08-10SEP2005.html]

===First Test: India v Zimbabwe, 13–16 September===
{{Two-innings cricket match
| date = 13–17 September 2005{{efn|While five days of play were scheduled for each Test, this Test reached a result in four days.}}
| team1 = {{cr-rt|ZIM}}
| team2 = {{cr|IND}}

| score-team1-inns1 = 279 (98.5 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 = [[Tatenda Taibu]] 71* (158)
| wickets-team1-inns1 = [[Irfan Pathan]] 5/58 (18.5 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 = 554 (151.3 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 = [[V. V. S. Laxman]] 140 (221)
| wickets-team2-inns1 = [[Blessing Mahwire]] 4/92 (25.3 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 = 185 (47.5 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 = [[Tatenda Taibu]] 52 (83)
| wickets-team1-inns2 = [[Irfan Pathan]] 4/53 (12 overs)

| result = India won by an innings and 90 runs
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/14782/scorecard/219062/zimbabwe-vs-india-1st-test-india-tour-of-zimbabwe-2005 Scorecard]
| venue = [[Queens Sports Club]], [[Bulawayo]]
| umpires = [[Aleem Dar]] (Pak) and [[Daryl Harper]] (Aus)
| motm = [[Irfan Pathan]] (Ind)
| toss = Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat.
| rain =
| notes =
}}

[[Image:Irfan Pathan.jpg|thumb|Irfan Pathan]]
[[Zimbabwean cricket team|Zimbabwe]] battled well on the first day of the two-Test series with [[Indian cricket team|India]], as opening batsman [[Terry Duffin]] survived early jitters to become the first Zimbabwean to make a half-century on debut since [[Stuart Matsikenyeri]], while the team made their highest score since the [[Zimbabwean cricket team in Bangladesh in 2004-05|tour of Bangladesh]] last season. Duffin and [[Brendan Taylor]] started reasonably well, adding 25 before Taylor inside edged onto his pad and the ball popped up to [[Gautam Gambhir]] who took a good catch. [[Hamilton Masakadza]] stepped in, and looked quite settled before gloving the ball down the [[leg side]] to the [[wicket-keeper]] for 14. [[Dion Ebrahim]] survived with Duffin until [[playing time (cricket)#Intervals|lunch]], however, as Zimbabwe made their way to 75 for 2.

After lunch, Zimbabwe fought back, with Duffin hitting some technically sound [[boundary (cricket)|boundaries]]. They brought up 100 in just over five overs after lunch, with no further loss, but Duffin was eventually [[dismissal (cricket)|dismissed]] [[Leg before wicket|lbw]] for 56 – out to a trademark [[inswinger]] from [[Irfan Pathan]]. Pathan got another wicket in his next over, as [[Dion Ebrahim]] was [[caught and bowled]], and suddenly Zimbabwe could be looking at a familiar collapse, with the score 124 for 4.

The current and former [[Zimbabwean national cricket captains|captains]] of the Zimbabwe team, [[Tatenda Taibu]] and [[Heath Streak]], had other thoughts, however. The pair added 70 in a fine rearguard effort, while not rejecting the odd high-scoring shot either, and frustrated the Indian bowlers for 25 overs. Eventually it was India's most experienced bowler, 34-year-old [[Anil Kumble]], who broke the defences – Streak couldn't quite read the turn of the ball correctly, and was [[Caught (cricket)|caught]] for 27. Kumble also dismissed young [[Charles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer)|Charles Coventry]] for 2, leaving Taibu with [[all-rounder]] [[Andy Blignaut]].

Blignaut was strangely subdued for the 33 deliveries he faced, and although he did attempt some ODI-style heaves, they mostly missed both his bat and the off [[stump (cricket)|stump]]. Blignaut was eventually lbw for 4, but [[Keith Dabengwa]] came to the rescue with an entertaining 35 to bat out the day. He yielded a catch to [[VVS Laxman]] at first [[slip (cricket)|slip]] off [[Irfan Pathan]] in the second over of the morning, however, as Zimbabwe only managed to add ten to their overnight score for the loss of three wickets. Pathan was the pick of the Indian bowlers, [[swing bowling|swinging]] the ball well to dismiss [[Gavin Ewing]] and [[Blessing Mahwire]] as well, as Zimbabwe were all out for 279 – with [[Tatenda Taibu]] left [[not out]] for 71.

However, in sunny conditions and on a good batting track, India found the going very easy. Admittedly Dabengwa dropped a hard catch off [[Virender Sehwag]] on 5, and Sehwag made the Zimbabweans pay, pounding six fours and one six in a 44 before Mahwire found a way through his defences at the stroke of lunch. India had added 88 for the first wicket, however, and although [[Gautam Gambhir]] departed for 46 shortly after lunch, the foundation was laid down. [[Rahul Dravid]] was back to his form from before the [[Videocon Tri-Series 2005|one-day series]], and [[VVS Laxman]] also survived a tricky period to hit his eighth [[Test cricket|Test]] [[century (cricket)|century]]. Mahwire added yet another wicket to his tally, as he lured Dravid into an edge that fell into [[Brendan Taylor]]'s hands, but Laxman pounded Zimbabwe's bowlers in the evening session, giving them a relatively comfortable lead of 46 runs at stumps on day two.

Zimbabwe had a good morning session on the third day, by their standards, as Laxman was [[run out]] for 140 and [[Yuvraj Singh]] and [[Dinesh Karthik]] were dismissed in successive overs. Captain Ganguly, however, held together well with the lower order, and he notched up the half-century along with his 5000th Test run before lunch, and India battled out the morning session with no further loss. And in the afternoon session, India's spinners took some beating. Dabengwa and Ewing bowled all but one over of the 37-over long session, despite [[Irfan Pathan]] defying the bowlers for 52 and Ganguly nurdling his way to 97 before tea, as Taibu seemed content with Ewing tying down the runs. He did not even do that very efficiently – by tea, his [[bowling analysis]] read 38–5–111–0, but he got a breakthrough three overs into the evening as the Indian captain smashed the ball straight to Dabengwa for 101. By the time, however, the Indian score had soared past 500, and in a frantic 40-ball feast at the end [[Harbhajan Singh]], [[Zaheer Khan]] and [[Anil Kumble]] combined to add 52 for the last two wickets.

The hosts did not put up as much fight in the second innings as in the first, however. During the course of 45 minutes, [[Irfan Pathan]] had removed four Zimbabwean batsmen – Taylor made 4, Masakadza 2, Ebrahim 2 and Streak a [[Duck (cricket)|golden duck]]. Duffin, the discovery of the first innings, was also dismissed by [[Zaheer Khan|Zaheer]] for 2. Only Taibu seemed vaguely comfortable against the swing bowler, and his partnership with Coventry at least added 49 runs on the board. However, in the last scheduled over of the day, Coventry gave a catch to Gambhir off [[Harbhajan Singh]], resulting in Harbhajan's 200th Test wicket. Zimbabwe thus needed 208 for their last four wickets to avoid the innings defeat.

Zimbabwe resisted for a session on the fourth day against the Indian spinners, but Harbhajan and [[Anil Kumble]] chipped away with wickets, first by removing Blignaut for a well-struck 26, and then Taibu and Dabengwa in quick succession. Needing only one more wicket for the win, India attacked, but the fielder at short leg dropped [[Gavin Ewing]] early on and he answered by smashing the spin bowlers around. Ewing and Mahwire added 47 runs in 13 overs before Harbhajan finally got a ball to spin back into Ewing's pads – gone for 34, but at least he got a somewhat useful score. Nevertheless, Zimbabwe were all out for 185, and they suffered yet another innings defeat.

===Second Test, Zimbabwe v India, 20–22 September===
{{Two-innings cricket match
| date = 20–24 September 2005{{efn|While five days of play were scheduled for each Test, this Test reached a result in three days.}}
| team1 = {{cr-rt|ZIM}}
| team2 = {{cr|IND}}

| score-team1-inns1 = 161 (44.2 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 = [[Charles Coventry (Zimbabwean cricketer)|Charles Coventry]] 37 (32)
| wickets-team1-inns1 = [[Irfan Pathan]] 7/59 (15.2 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 = 386 (107.3 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 = [[Rahul Dravid]] 118 (237)
| wickets-team2-inns1 = [[Heath Streak]] 6/73 (32 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 = 243 (55 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 = [[Andy Blignaut]] 100* (113)
| wickets-team1-inns2 = [[Irfan Pathan]] 5/67 (19 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 = 19/0 (2.2 overs)
| runs-team2-inns2 = [[Virender Sehwag]] 14* (11)

| result = India won by 10 wickets
| report = [https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/india-tour-of-zimbabwe-2005-208816/zimbabwe-vs-india-2nd-test-219613/full-scorecard]
| venue = [[Harare Sports Club]], [[Harare]]
| umpires = [[Aleem Dar]] (Pak) and [[Daryl Harper]] (Aus)
| motm = [[Irfan Pathan]] (Ind)
| toss = India won the toss and elected to field.
| rain =
| notes =
}}
[[Zimbabwean cricket team|Zimbabwe]] made one change from the previous Test, exchanging Ewing for Test debutante [[Waddington Mwayenga]], gave the [[Indian cricket team|Indian]] [[slip (cricket)|slip]] fielders and [[wicket-keeper]] a lot of practice during the first morning of the second Test of the series, as four catches went to hand during the first 69 balls of the match. It started with Brendan Taylor, who edged to Rahul Dravid with the third delivery of the match, out for 4. Terry Duffin and Dion Ebrahim showed more patience, lasting for ten overs, but once Irfan Pathan found Duffin's outside edge Zimbabwe lost three wickets for no runs. Captain Tatenda Taibu, who had been top-scorer in both innings in the last Test, made a two-ball duck, while Dion Ebrahim was caught behind off Zaheer Khan, Zaheer's first wicket in the match. Heath Streak and Hamilton Masakadza survived for fifteen overs – four of them bowled by captain Sourav Ganguly, testing his skills with the swinging ball – but Streak eventually edged a ball from Harbhajan onto his pads and into the hands of Gautam Gambhir, leaving Zimbabwe at 75 for 5 at lunch.

Pathan continued the rout after the break, helped by Harbhajan, who snared Coventry for Zimbabwe's best score of the innings, a typical stroke-filled 37, including four fours and a six. After his nine-wicket-haul in the first match that left him with Man of the Match honours, Pathan now removed Masakadza, Blignaut, Dabengwa and Mahwire, to end with career best [[bowling analysis|figures]] of seven for 59. Zimbabwe's innings had lasted 44.2 overs, yielded 161 runs (the Test debutant Mwayenga contributing with 14 [[not out]] from number 11) and included eight catches and two lbws.

India's innings was as easy as it had been a week ago. From the first 12 overs, Sehwag and Gambhir added 75 runs, before Sehwag edged Streak behind for a run-a-ball 44. Gambhir continued, though, and India lost no further wickets until the close of play, leaving them on 195 for 1 with Gambhir five runs short of his second Test century. Rahul Dravid was more subdued, only making 49 from 103 balls, and he was occasionally troubled by Streak – but not enough to surrender his wicket.

Zimbabwe had better luck on day two, as the removal of Gautam Gambhir fifteen balls into the morning incited a return to accurate line and length bowling. The run rate was slow for today's Test cricket, as India accumulated only 2.46 runs per over in the first two sessions, including a period of 14 overs without a single boundary. India went defensive after losing Laxman for 8, and Dravid and Ganguly ground out the runs – only for Ganguly to depart for 16 shortly before lunch, giving Mwayenga his first Test wicket. Dravid and Yuvraj Singh pushed gently onwards after the break, adding 61 in 21 overs, but the new [[cricket ball|ball]], delivered from the hands of Streak and Mahwire, caused them to miss the ball often. Eventually, Streak had Yuvraj Singh bowled with a fine [[inswinger]], and Dravid followed two balls later, clean bowled by Mahwire for 98.

Streak bowled an unbroken 14-over spell from the 80-over mark, with only the 15-minute tea break as respite, but the spell yielded a further three wickets – Pathan added another typically belligerent 32 before Charles Coventry held a catch, while wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik and Anil Kumble were both out in single figures, and Andy Blignaut ended the innings by dismissing Zaheer. Despite taking the last eight wickets for 200 runs – respectable by most measure – Zimbabwe had surrendered a 205-run lead, and their batting was not up to close that gap.

Irfan Pathan was keen to emulate Streak's feat with the new ball, and he did, removing openers Duffin and Taylor to reach 18 wickets for the series. Zaheer, meanwhile, induced two catches in the [[slip (cricket)|gully]] as Zimbabwe lost the first four wickets for 21 runs. Masakadza and Streak survived until the close of play, adding a further 18, but the further 166 runs required to have India bat again looked enormous.

Streak was dismissed early in the morning, but spirited innings from Coventry and Blignaut, along with Masakadza's third Test fifty, delayed the result somewhat, preventing Zimbabwe from suffering their sixth successive innings defeat. Coventry added a belligerent 25 before holing out to Ganguly at midwicket, while Blignaut was the beneficiary of five dropped chances by the Indian fielders – including three in an over bowled by Zaheer Khan. At the other end, however, the 22-year-old Masakadza composed 71, his highest Test score for four years and his third-highest score overall. Masakadza and Blignaut raced away, adding 151 before lunch, and they took the score to 201 for 6 before an all too familiar collapse struck. Masakadza started it, trapped lbw by Pathan, and Dabengwa and Mahwire both went for ducks. Zimbabwe needed three runs to avoid the innings defeat, and once they were provided, Blignaut started swinging. He hit two sixes after the departure of Mahwire, but debutant Mwayenga deserted him, lbw to Zaheer for 1.

Needing 20 to win, India hardly needed the 15-minute innings break – they wrapped it up with 14 deliveries, as they were handed the game with four [[leg side]] [[bye (cricket)|bye]]s from Blignaut. Sehwag had hit three fours in a routine unbeaten 14 as India made it to 20 for no loss with ease.
[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/IND_IN_ZIM/SCORECARDS/IND_ZIM_T2_20-24SEP2005.html (Cricinfo scorecard)]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/IND_IN_ZIM/ Cricinfo – Zimbabwe v India 2005–06]
* Cricinfo news bulletins and scorecards

{{International cricket in 2005}}
{{International cricket tours of Zimbabwe}}

[[Category:2005 in Indian cricket]]
[[Category:2005 in Zimbabwean cricket]]
[[Category:Indian cricket tours of Zimbabwe|2005]]
[[Category:International cricket competitions in 2005]]
[[Category:Zimbabwean cricket seasons from 2000–01]]

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Indian cricket team in Zimbabwe in 2005