Captain Virat Kohli's 15th ODI century led India to a 6-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the 1st match at Harare. Kohli attend 108-ball 115 combined fast with debutant Ambati Rayudu unbeaten 63, as India chased down the hosts 228 with 5.1 overs to spare.
Rayudu's ODI debut, arguably ten years too late, was marked by a responsible half-century. The 27-year-old stayed put right to the end, even as India lost Kohli and Raina in quick succession, and smashed a full-toss through covers to get the winning runs.
Amit Mishra googlied his way to 3victims. Playing his 1st ODI is almost 2 years; the leg-spinner had figures of 10-1-43-3, including the key scalp of Raza, the mainstay of Zimbabwean batting.
Earlier, Zimbabwe batsmen Pakistan-born Sikandar Razas patient 82 was the fulcrum around which Zimbabwe spun their 228/7 after India selected to field.
Elton Chigumbura ensured his bowlers had something to defend with a breezy, unbeaten 43 that contained 6 fours and 1 six. Although the 228 was something the hosts would have been proud of purely from an academic, morale-boosting point of view - the useful inadequacy of the total surfaced when India strong batting card made little work of what Zimbabwe had labored to accrue.
