Bowlers push India on back foot

Virat Kohli reacts after being given out to a low catch for 14 in the second ODI against ZimbabweThe toss was supposed to have gone against Zimbabwe in the first ODI, with the early-morning start at Harare Sports Club making the new balls dart around and the pitch flattening out for the chasing side. Zimbabwe had an opening partnership of 72 but it consumed 22 overs, and the 228 they managed ultimately wasn't enough to test Virat Kohli and Co. Two days later, Brendan Taylor's luck improved, Virat Kohli called incorrectly and India were asked to face the four Zimbabwe seamers. The way India batted, it gave Vusi Sibanda and Sikandar Raza's opening effort in the first game lots of context. The same batsmen who could have hardly been bothered in the chase on Wednesday were made to struggle to put bat to ball. And when they did they often edged them. The new balls swung, seamed, bounced, and skidded. Had the Zimbabwe quicks shown more control, and had their fielders caught better, India would have been in a bigger hole. Shikhar Dhawan played possibly the most charmed innings of his short international career. He was caught behind off a Kyle Jarvis no-ball and dropped by the wicketkeeper off the same bowler. His fortune made him India's chief hope at the halfway stage as he approached a half-century. The rest of the India top order did not have the same kind of luck. Rohit Sharma, having said just before his 100th ODI started that one needed to be careful against the new balls as an opener, chased Brian Vitori's first delivery, a widish good length ball, and edged to the slip cordon. Virat Kohli, coming off a match-winning hundred, looked largely solid before he pushed Jarvis to mid-on. He was given out by on-field umpire Bruce Oxenford, but expressed enough doubt over the decision for the third umpire to be called in. Replays were not exactly conclusive, as they often aren't in these cases, but the third umpire did not overrule Oxenford's decision. Incredibly, Kohli still stood his ground and wanted the third umpire to check once more, but all his anger was ultimately in vain. Ambati Rayudu was brought crashing down from his debut half-century in a painful 25-ball existence during which he was put down by the bowler Vitori and was beaten on numerous occasions. Rayudu ended his misery when he tried to break free and ended up spooning a drive to cover, off Vitori. For once, Suresh Raina - who has made no secret of his desire to bat up the order - had plenty of overs to get himself in, but nudged his 11th delivery down the leg side to the keeper. At 65 for 4, and no MS Dhoni to come, his team's atrocious over-rate would have been one of Taylor's biggest worries. Dhawan looked intent to make good use of his lives, though, and along with Dinesh Karthik, steered India past 100.