Pride goes as India fall again

The sun had sunk below the horizon by the time Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza left the Harare Sports Club....

The sun had sunk below the horizon by the time Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza left the Harare Sports Club. Crouching with their backs against the steel steps of the pavilion and heads bowed over their knees,the duo watched television through the glass door,which blared footage of Tatenda Taibu swirling onto his backfoot and swatting Ashok Dindas slower one into the mid-wicket fence. Masakadza and Taylor watched it a few times over,before joining a few former players for a much needed drink.

The Taibu pull-stroke had won the match for Zimbabwe by seven-wickets,a bonus point victory that the opening pair earned with brute force. While the 74 runs he scored on Thursday was the coming of age for Taylor his second-highest score against a Test playing nation barring Bangladesh Masakadzas great run with the bat continued. The Indian attack had no answers to their questions,as Taylor and Masakadza stitched up a 127-run partnership,chewing away the major chunk of the 195-run target.

Playing his 100th ODI,Taylor made short work off Indias target in his 90-ball knock. The intent was there from the beginning,when he punched Ashok Dinda off the backfoot through the covers for his first boundary. But the shot of day came off Umesh Yadav in the eighth,when Taylor clobbered the fast-bowler for a six over mid-wicket. He brought up his 19th ODI fifty off just 60 balls,shortly before slicing one down long-offs throat off Pragyan Ojha.

Twenty-two yards away,Masakadza played the waiting game,but once Taylor was dismissed,he opened up his broad shoulders. Going after Amit Mishra in the 30th over,Masakadza tested the strength of the pavilion door glass with his first six,before caving the roof of the long-on stand with a second consecutive one. By the time he was out two overs later to a stunning catch by Virat Kohli at shortish mid-wicket,Zimbabwe stood on the brink of a famous win.

The second consecutive victory over India the first time ever was a moment of clarity for their side. Compared to their win last week,the celebrations were a lot less maniacal this time around,proving they were almost expecting it. In their quest for Test status,Zimbabwe had taken a more-than-decent step.

Amidst all the celebrations,the Indians made a shame-faced exit. It wasnt just because they find themselves in a do-or-die situation against Sri Lanka to qualify for the final,it was the manner in which they were ragged on the field that was pitiful. If it was the hostss openers who taught them about playing on a turning pitch,Zimbabwes bowlers all spinners but for Andy Blignaut bullied them into meek submission.

Greg Lamb,a part-time off-spinner,playing only his seventh ODI,dismissed both Indian openers Murali Vijay and Dinesh Karthik in consecutive overs,setting the tone for the rest of the innings. Having managed just 58 runs in 16 overs,Karthik was the first to go for 33,caught behind by Taibu,when he tried to reverse sweep.

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Vijay went in the 19th,stum-ped by Taibu for 56-ball 21. When Lamb came back in the 45th over to snare Dinda finishing with 3/45 India were 176/8,with Ravindra Jadeja playing a lone hand. Batting with Indias never ending tail,Jadeja made 51 to lead India to 194/9. But it was never going to be enough.