Player of the Match
Player of the Match

That brings us to the end of our coverage today. It was a cakewalk for India. Hope the next two games will be a lot closer than this one. Do join us on Monday. Until then, it's goodbye from all of us here at the commentary desk. Enjoy Euro 2016 action, or you can even hop over to follow our coverage of the Lord's Test. Cheers!

KL Rahul is the Player of the Match for his century on ODI debut. "I enjoyed my batting. The wicket was tough, so I couldn't be complacent. I wanted to play out the new ball, and then take it from there. I'm really satisfied with the way I carried on and stayed not out in the end. I just got told by the manager that I was the first Indian to get a century on debut. I wasn't thinking much, there was just one way to get to a century. I wanted to hold my shape and just hit it. There are five more games, it's a sporty wicket. This is my first tour with the ODI team, and I'm loving it so far.

MS Dhoni: It was a very good performance. I felt the fast bowlers did well, and were backed by the spinners even though there wasn't much help for them. A win first up is important in a three-game series. The batsmen did a very good job, but the bowlers laid the ground work.

Graeme Cremer: We didn't get enough runs. Maybe if we would have got to 220, it could have been a different story. We lost a couple of wickets to good balls, but few of the guys didn't kick on after getting 20s and 30s. Indian batsmen showed how easy batting can get once you get in. Our seamers bowled well, but it just didn't go our way. We know we're much better than that, and we can hopefully win the next game to make the third ODI a final.

4:10pm One way traffic all the way, I'm afraid. Zimbabwe just didn't have enough runs to challenge India's young batting line-up. But make no mistake, they were impressive upfront with the new ball. The surprise package in their stint with the ball was Chamu Chibhabha, who did wonderfully well with his seam-ups. But tonight's KL Rahul's night. He had a forgettable Test debut, but his inception into limited-overs cricket has been the stuff dreams are made of.

This wasn't the easiest of surfaces to bat, but he was measured early on and then opened up to play some wonderful shots before that champagne moment in the end. Ambati Rayudu too was circumspect at the start. He weathered the early storm after the early loss of Karun Nair, and played the perfect foil as the innings progressed. 1-0 then for India. Comprehensive win. Zimbabwe have a mountain to climb if they are to force a challenge in the series. That this was made into a cakewalk was courtesy the efforts of Jasprit Bumrah and Barinder Sran with the ball. Yuzvendra Chahal, the other debutant, was also fantastic. India have ticked most boxes they would have liked to, and MS Dhoni can't be happier!

42.3
6
Masakadza to Rahul, SIX, take that, thanks for coming! KL Rahul, take a bow. He was waiting for this, or so it seemed. This one was too full and right in the slot for him to swing across the line, and he got enough bat on it as the ball sailed over the stands at long-on. That's a century on ODI debut! Rahul lets out a roar. He's only the 11th debutant to make a century on ODI debut, he's the first Indian. Rayudu has played his part in the century too by giving him enough strike towards the end. Chants of 'Raaahul Raaahul' echo across the Harare Sports Club.

Will he now try to channelise his IPL power by hitting a six and get to a century?

42.2
2
Masakadza to Rahul, 2 runs, on the pads, flicked to fine leg, took on the fielder in the deep and managed to scoot back in
42.1
0
Masakadza to Rahul, no run, slides a length ball on middle, Rahul wrists it to square leg, wanted the run but quickly decided against it

END OF OVER:
42 | 3 Runs | IND: 165/1 (4 runs required from 48 balls, RR: 3.92, RRR: 0.50)

  • Ambati Rayudu62 (120b)
  • KL Rahul92 (112b)
  • Chamu Chibhabha8-1-14-0
  • Hamilton Masakadza2-0-11-0
41.6
0
Chibhabha to Rayudu, no run, gets forward and defends again
41.5
1
Chibhabha to Rahul, 1 run, short ball on middle, Rahul winds up to play a flat-batted pull but doesn't get the elevation, one bounce to long-on, a run is all he'll get
41.4
1
Chibhabha to Rayudu, 1 run, rides the bounce and eases it down to third man
41.3
0
Chibhabha to Rayudu, no run, floats a length ball on middle stump, Rayudu gets across and offers a straight bat to that
41.2
1
Chibhabha to Rahul, 1 run, punched down the ground to long-on

India tour of Zimbabwe 2016 News

Highest on debut for India

86

The previous highest by an India batsman on ODI debut - by Robin Uthappa against England in 2006. KL Rahul has passed him.

Rayudu as quick as Dhoni

29

No. of innings taken by Ambati Rayudu to score 1000 ODI runs. He is the joint fourth-fastest India batsman to the landmark. MS Dhoni also took 29 innings.

Only the second

1

Number of India openers to make a fifty on debut in ODIs before KL Rahul. Robin Uthappa had made 86 against England in Indore in 2006.

Debutant openers

1976

Last time before this two debutants opened for India in an ODI. Parthasarthi Sharma and Dilip Vengsarkar had opened against NZ in an ODI in Christchurch.

Spin strangle

2.65

Economy of India's spinners in the match - their ninth best in an ODI when spinners have bowled at least 20 overs.

Scrooges

91

Runs conceded by India in 30 overs - the least they have conceded in the first 30 overs of an ODI in the last ten years.

Powerplay? hardly

46

Dots faced by Zimbabwe batsmen in the first ten overs. The hosts managed only 32 runs off the Powerplay.

Masakadza in form

219

Runs by Hamilton Masakadza in three innings in Zimbabwe's previous ODI series against Afghanistan. He averaged 73.0 with one century and a fifty.