India in Zimbabwe: Ajinkya Rahane Lauds “Hungry Boys” After Series Whitewash

India skipper Ajinkya Rahane on Tuesday applauded his team for playing as a unit, saying that every member of the side contributed in the 3-0 whitewash against Zimbabwe in the ODI series.
Despite a sloppy start, Kedar Jadhav (105 not out) and Manish Pandey (71) put on a crucial 144-run stand to help India post 276 for five and then eventually win the match by 83 runs.
“The partnership between Manish (Pandey) and Kedar (Jadhav) was crucial for us. I am very happy for the boys. They were hungry and up for the series. (Ambati) Rayudu got his hundred in the first game, (Murali) Vijay in the second and Kedar here. The bowlers chipped in as well. We played as a team,” said Rahane at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rayudu was awarded the Man-of-the-Series award for his 124 not out and 41 runs in the first and second ODIs, respectively.
Asked about Rayudu’s injury, which had ruled him out of the series before the third ODI, Rahane said: “Rayudu will be okay and will be back in action. He has been doing well for us and is a crucial member of the team.”
Rayudu had pulled his right quadriceps muscles and was advised two to three weeks of rehabilitation.Man-of-the-Match Jadhav said it was a great feeling to get his maiden century.
“It is a great feeling and I just want to thank my family. Ajinkya and the support staff have been backing me,” he said.
Jadhav said Pandey’s presence in the middle gave him time to settle down on a seaming track.
“The wicket was seaming a bit and I took my time to settle down. As Manish was batting superbly, it gave me time to adjust and play my shots,” he said.
Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura blamed his batsmen for losing all three matches of the ODI series.
“It is disappointing again, especially with the bat. Other than the first game, we have failed with the bat. It is frustrating and we need to make use of the situations and start winning games,” he said.
Chigumbura said his team would be looking to put their best foot forward in the two Twenty20 Internationals.
“We have to play our best cricket and be positive in the T20s,” said the home team skipper.