Chawla picks up ten as India A thrash Zimbabwe

India A 524 for 8 dec (Patel 126, Badrinath 103*, Pujara 100, Uthappa 67, Rainsford 4-100) beat Zimbabwe Select 143 (Chawla 4-12, Ojha 4-45) and 148 (Masakadza 73, Chawla 6-46) by an innings and 233 runs
Scorecard

Piyush Chawla bagged a match haul of 10 for 58 to lead India A to an innings-and-233-run victory against Zimbabwe Select on the third day at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, thus wrapping up the two-match series 2-0.

Resuming at their first-innings score of 67 for 5, the Zimbabweans lost wickets at regular intervals to be shot out for 143. The Indian spinners, Chawla and Pragyan Ojha, shared the spoils taking four wickets each. With India having a massive 381-run lead, Mohammad Kaif had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on.

Just as in the first innings, Tino Mawoyo and Hamilton Masakadza, the Zimbabwean openers, got the team off to a steady start putting on 63 for the first wicket. Chawla then struck two quick blows removing Mawoyo and Vusi Sibanda. Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu joined Masakadza and the pair put up a brief resistance, taking the score to 115.

Ojha had Taibu trapped in front, and Masakadza was dismissed in a similar fashion by Irfan Pathan for a well-made 73. With the fall of Masakadza's wicket, Zimbabwe crumbled to 148 all out, with the last six wickets crumbling in 44 balls for addition of a mere five runs. Six of the Zimbabweans failed to open their account in the second innings.

Chawla was the chief destroyer, picking up six wickets to finish with 18 wickets in two games. Pathan, who had finished wicketless in the first innings, did better in the second, picking up 3 for 12 from ten overs.

The Indians now head to Kenya for two three-day matches and an ODI tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka A.