ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE: `Team India' strikes a happy picture after the series sweep. — Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Harare: And so it ended with a whimper. Andy Blignaut found the middle of the track and the ball took off, eluding Virender Sehwag's helmet and Tatenda Taibu's gloves. Four byes brought India its first overseas series victory in 19 years as it vanquished Zimbabwe by 10 wickets 50 minutes before tea on the third day of the second Royal Stag Test at the Harare Sports Club here on Thursday.

The silver lining for Zimbabwe was that it was the first time in 14 months it had an avoided an innings defeat. Needing 19 to fulfil the ritual, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir took just 14 balls.

Elite company

Earlier, Irfan Pathan equalled the record of 21 wickets in a two-Test series held by John Briggs (England vs South Africa, 1889) and Anil Kumble (India vs Pakistan, 1999), taking five in the second innings to finish with 12 for 126 in the match.

The left-armer from Baroda was declared both the man of the match and man of the series.

"To be honest, we were expected to win this series," said Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. "We should have done something stupid to lose it."

It was only the fourth time that the Indian players have managed to put their feet up after three days of play — the most recent being the Mumbai Test against Australia in 2004.

The loudest bangs, however, were served up by Zimbabwe. The first session yielded 157 runs in 28 overs, as Zimbabwe rollicked to within 15 runs of making India bat again. With the host at four down for 39 at the end of day two, India was expected to put the opposition out of its misery early — a spot of euthanasia perhaps.

Heath Streak was turned inside out like an old sock in the first over of the day by Zaheer Khan bowling around the wicket and the telephones of travel agents began jangling.

But the schizophrenic Charles Coventry joined the extravagant Hamilton Masakadza. Coventry unleashed spectacled mayhem as he smashed Pathan repeatedly through cover.

And to add variety, the 22-year-old banged him back over his head. Lofted shots over mid-off and square-leg were favoured. But Coventry left meekly; he had shone briefly.

Masakadza, meanwhile, was showing rare maturity by picking the right balls to lean into.

Dollops of luck

`Mr. Misplaced Machismo' Andy Blignaut, prone to statements like "the more I play the more I grow into who I really am," arrived and with him came dollops of luck.

He was dropped thrice in successive balls off Zaheer Khan by the Indian slip cordon, impeccable till then. Dheeraj Jhadav, temporarily replacing V.V.S. Laxman, put the first one down, Sehwag allowed the next through his hands, and Dinesh Kaarthick leapt in front of the hapless Rahul Dravid unsuccessfully.

Masakadza and Blignaut put on 116 in 147 balls, each going to a half-century. Masakadza played the classiest innings by a Zimbabwean in recent times as he controlled a good Indian bowling attack. The break broke his rhythm. Pathan changed ends after lunch and brought one back to claim Masakadza (71, 188m, 127b, 8x4, 1x6). Keith Dabengwa and Blessing Mahwire left like hurried hens, leaving Blignaut in last-man Waddington Mwayenga's company, still three adrift of parity.

Big, bigger

Blignaut — incredibly dropped a couple of more times — launched into Kumble, powering the leg-spinner first over Keg and Maiden, the pub in the ground, and then over the press box and into the broadcast vans.

Zaheer was impressive on Thursday, changing his angle to deviate deliveries away from the right-hander from around the wicket. Luckless but persevering, he returned to finish the Zimbabwe innings, leaving Blignaut stranded on an unbeaten 84 (131m, 93b, 8x4, 4x6). "It's not good for any bowler if a catch is dropped," said mate and partner-in-crime Pathan. "But there's no point in negative thoughts. Whatever you say to the press or anywhere else, you have to remain positive."

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