LIVE SCORE | INDIA vs ZIMBABWE | 1ST ODI | HARARE SPORTS CLUB
FULL SCORECARD
INDIA INNINGS
42.3 overs: SIX and India beat Zimbabwe by 9 wickets with 45 balls to spare to take 1-0 lead in the series. With that SIX, Rahul became the first Indian opener to score a 100 on debut in ODI.
42 overs: 3 runs from Chibhabha's over. India 162/1 (4 runs required from 48 balls).
41 overs: 4 runs from Masakadza's over. India 162/1 (7 runs required from 54 balls). Rayudu 61 (117b 5x4 0x6), Rahul 90 (109b 7x4 0x6), Masakadza 2-0-11-0, Chibhabha 7-1-11-0.
40 overs: Just 2 runs from the over. India 158/1 (11 runs required from 60 balls).
39 overs: 7 runs from Masakadza's over. India 156/1 (13 runs required from 11 overs).
38 overs: Four singles from Raza's over. India 149/1 (20 runs required from 12 overs).
37 overs: Just 1 run from Cremer's last over. Bowled well but no success for the captain. India 145/1 (24 runs required from 13 overs).
36 overs: 7 runs from Raza's over. Rahul slapped a FOUR past the bowler in the over. India 144/1 (25 runs required from 14 overs).
35 overs: 4 runs from Cremer's over. India 137/1 (32 runs required from 15 overs).
34 overs: Good over by Raza. Just 2 runs from the over. India 133/1 (36 runs required from 16 overs).
33.1 overs: FIFTY up for Rayudu in 93 balls. It is his 6 half-century in ODIs.
33 overs: 4 runs from Cremer's over. India 131/1 (38 runs required from 17 overs).
32 overs: 3 runs from Raza's second over. Not looking like taking a wicket but he is being economical. India 127/1 (42 runs required from 18 overs). Rayudu 48 (90b 5x4 0x6), Rahul 68 (82b 5x4 0x6).
31 overs: Rayudu hit Cremer for a FOUR to collect 7 runs from the over. India 124/1 (45 runs required from 19 overs).
30 overs: Nothing working for them, Sikandar Raza brought into attack. Not very effective. 4 runs off the over. India 117/1 (52 runs required from 20 overs).
29 overs: 3 runs from Cremer's over. India 113/1 (56 runs required from 21 overs).
28 overs: Just 2 runs from Muzarabani's over. India 110/1 (59 runs required from 22 overs).
27 overs: Back-to-back 5-run overs for India. But that is enough for India to stay on course to victory. India 108/1 (61 runs required from 23 overs).
26 overs: Muzarabani returned into action. 5 runs from the over. Rahul and Rayudu are well set. India 103/1 (66 runs required from 24 overs).
25 overs: 3 runs from Cremer's over. India 98/1 (71 runs required from 25 overs).
24 overs: Maiden over by Chatara. India 95/1 (74 runs required from 26 overs).
23 overs: 12 runs from Cremer's over. Rahul hit two FOURs in it. India 95/1 (74 runs required from 27 overs).
22.4 overs: FIFTY up for Rahul in 58 balls. He is only the second Indian opener to score a half-century on ODI debut.
22 overs: Rayudu again got a FOUR in the over. 6 runs from Chatara's comeback over. India 83/1 (86 runs required from 28 overs).
21 overs: Rayudu is finally looking comfortable in the middle. Hit a delightful FOUR over bowler's head. 8 runs from the over. India 77/1 (92 runs required from 29 overs).
20 overs: Yet another good over by Chibhabha. Just 1 from it. India 69/1 (100 runs required from 30 overs).
19 overs: Most expensive over of the match so far. 15 runs from Chigumbura's over. Rahul and Rayudu hit a FOUR each in the over. India 68/1 (101 runs required from 31 overs). Rayudu 22 (45b 2x4 0x6), Rahul 35 (49b 3x4 0x6).
18 overs: It seems 3-run over is a par on this pitch. Not easy to score quickly here. 3 runs from Chibhabha's over. India 53/1 (116 runs required from 32 overs).
17 overs: Finally some runs for Rayudu and India. 8 runs from Chigumbura's over. Rayudu hit a FOUR to get his first boundary after 37 balls. India 50/1 (119 runs required from 33 overs).
16 overs: Chibhabha is proving to be a difficult bowler to deal with. Especially for Rayudu. Just 2 runs from the over. India 42/1 (127 runs required from 34 overs).
15 overs: 3 runs from Chigumbura's first over. Rahul and Rayudu are finding it difficult to score runs but they have enough overs to afford this sluggish batting. India 40/1 (129 runs required from 35 overs).
14 overs: Another good over by Chibhabha. Just 2 runs from the over and he once again troubled Rayudu. India 37/1 (132 runs required from 36 overs).
13 overs: Good over for India. Rahul and Rayudu worked Cremer around to get 5 singles from the over. India 35/1 (134 runs required from 37 overs).
12 overs: That was an excellent over by Chibhabha. Rayudu somehow survived the over. He was beaten so many times in the over, it looked like some non-cricketer was batting. Maiden over to start his quota. India 30/1 (139 runs required from 38 overs).
11 overs: Good first over by Cremer. Just 3 runs from it. India 30/1 (139 runs required from 39 overs).
10 overs: Just 2 runs from Chibhabha's first over. India 27/1 (142 runs required from 40 overs, RR: 2.70). Rahul 17 (27b 2x4 0x6), Rayudu 3 (13b 0x4 0x6), Chibhabha 1-0-2-0, Chatara 5-0-14-1.
9 overs: 3 runs from Chatara's over. Zimbabwe bowlers are keeping things very tight here. India 25/1 (144 runs required from 41 overs).
8 overs: Another Rahul FOUR and again 5 runs from the over. Muzarabani conceded first boundary in the over. India 22/1 (147 runs required from 42 overs).
7 overs: Rahul finally got some space to free his arms and he hit a cracking FOUR in the cover point region. 5 runs from Chatara's over. India 17/1 (152 runs required from 43 overs).
6 overs: Another 1-run over. Muzarabani is keeping the pressure from the other end. Good job. India 12/1 (157 runs required from 44 overs).
5 overs: Successful over by Chatara. Just 1 runs from it and he provided the first wicket to his team. India 11/1 (158 runs required from 45 overs).
4.3 overs: OUT! Nair wastes the golden opportunity. Chatara bowled short, outside off stump. The gripped a bit and came slightly late. Nair was early in the shot and handed a simple catch to cover fielder. Karun Nair c Sikandar Raza b Chatara 7 (20b 1x4 0x6).
4 overs: Another good over for Zimbabwe. Just 1 runs from Muzarabani's over. India 10/0 (159 runs required from 46 overs).
3 overs: Rahul and Nair are playing cautiously. They know target is not big. They have time and overs at their hands. Good over by Chatara. Just 1 run off it. India 9/0 (160 runs required from 47 overs).
2 overs: Good over by Muzarabani. He pitched the ball in good areas. There were no easy balls. It took a brilliant drive from Nair to get the FOUR in the over. India 8/0 (161 runs required from 48 overs).
1 over: Fine start for Rahul and Nair. No problems there. 4 runs off the first over. India 4/0 (165 runs required from 49 overs).
KL Rahul and Karun Nair to open the innings for India. Both of them are making debuts today. Tendai Chatara has the ball.
It's a very low score. It should be a cake walk for India. But can Zimbabwe bowlers make it interesting?
ZIMBABWE INNINGS
India have dismissed Zimbabwe for 168 runs in 49.5 overs.
49.5 overs: OUT! Fourth wicket for Bumrah. Chatara hit it high, Rayudu took a well judged catch at mid-wicket. Tendai Chatara c Rayudu b Bumrah 4 (10b 0x4 0x6).
49.3 overs: OUT! Chigumbura was outfoxed by Bumrah. This time he didn't overstepped. Elton Chigumbura b Bumrah 41 (65b 1x4 0x6).
49 overs: 5 runs off the penultimate over bowled by Sran. Zimbabwe 166/8.
48 overs: Bumrah got his third wicket in the over but he overstepped. 5 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 161/8.
47 overs: Successful over by Kulkarni. He got a wicket and gave 4 runs in it. Zimbabwe 156/8.
46.5 overs: OUT! Cremer wanted to scoop it over fine leg but missed the ball. Kulkarni got his second wicket. Greame Cremer b Kulkarni 8 (11b 1x4 0x6).
46 overs: Drop by drop, Zimbabwe have taken their score past 150. After some early blows, they were not looking good to get here. Good effort. 4 runs from Bumrah's over. Zimbabwe 152/7.
45 overs: Captain Greame Cremer hit a FOUR off Kulkarni to get 7 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 148/7.
44 overs: Chahal finished his excellent spell with a wicket. Good for a debutant to get a wicket in the first match. Three runs from his last over. He gave 27 runs in his 10 overs. Zimbabwe 141/7.
43.3 overs: OUT! Chahal gets his first international wicket in the last over of his quota. Richmond Mutumbami c Rahul b Chahal 15 (27b 2x4 0x6).
43 overs: Mutumbami brought another cracking shot to get FOUR runs for his team. This time he played it over Sran. 7 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 138/6.
42 overs: 6 runs from Kulkarni's over. Zimbabwe 131/6.
41 overs: Another economical over by Chahal but still no wicket for him. 3 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 125/6.
40 overs: Excellent cut over the point fielder by Mutumbami for a FOUR in the over. But that was the only scoring shot in the over. 4 runs off Bumrah's over. Zimbabwe 122/6.
39 overs: 2 runs from Chahal's over. He is still waiting for his first international wicket. Zimbabwe 118/6.
38 overs: Brilliant over by Sran. Just 1 run and a wicket. Zimbabwe 116/6.
37.3 overs: OUT! Sran broke the resistance put up by Sikandar Raza. Sikandar Raza b Sran 23 (54b 2x4 0x6).
37 overs: Axar Patel finished his quota with a 2-run over. He bowled well today, keeping Zimbabwe batsmen restricted inside their creases. He gave 26 runs in his 10 overs and took 1 wicket. Zimbabwe 115/5.
36 overs: Just 4 runs from Sran's over. Zimbabwe 113/5.
35 overs: 4 runs from Axar's over. Chigumbura and Sikandar Raza are playing well to get their team some crucial runs. Zimbabwe 109/5. Chigumbura 17 (35b 1x4 0x6), Raza 19 (43b 2x4 0x6), Patel 9-1-24-1, Kulkarni 7-1-25-1.
34 overs: Three runs from Kulkarni's over. Bowled a good line. Zimbabwe 105/5.
33 overs: Maiden over by Axar Patel. Zimbabwe 102/5.
32 overs: Pacer Kulkarni came back into attack. 7 runs from the over with a cracking pull by Raza for FOUR. Zimbabwe 102/5.
31 overs: Again there were runs off the outside edge but it didn't go to boundary this time. 4 runs from Chahal's over. Zimbabwe 95/5. Chigumbura 11 (26b 1x4 0x6), Raza 11 (28b 1x4 0x6), Chahal 7-1-19-0, Patel 7-0-20-1.
30 overs: 1 run from Axar's over. The scoreboard is crawling, literally. Zimbabwe 91/5.
29 overs: Again, a FOUR off the outside edge. This time Chigumbura edged it. Though there was a slip in place, the ball dropped short of the fielder and raced to boundary. 5 runs from Chahal's over. Zimbabwe 90/5.
28 overs: There was an outside edge but there was no slip in place and it went to FOUR. Lucky Raza, unlucky Axar. But that was the only scoring shot in the over. Zimbabwe 85/5.
27 overs: Another excellent over by Chahal. He has displayed good control on the ball today. Just 2 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 81/5.
26 overs: Now it is about playing out full over for Zimbabwe. 2 runs from Axar's over. Zimbabwe 79/5.
25 overs: Maiden over by Chahal. Zimbabwe 77/5.
24 overs: Successful over by Axar. Just 2 runs from it and he got the wicket of well set batsman Ervine. Zimbabwe 77/5.
23.6 overs: OUT! First wicket for Axar, and also to a spinner. It was bad delivery and meant to be put out of the ground but it was hit towards the longest part of the ground. Ervine was caught at mid-wicket boundary. Craig Ervine c sub (FY Fazal) b Patel 21 (45b 1x4 0x6).
23 overs: Another economical over by Chahal. Just 2 runs from it. Zimbabwe 75/4.
22 overs: Zimbabwe batsmen are finding it very difficult to score against Bumrah. Another 1-run over by him. Zimbabwe 73/4. Sikandar Raza 2 (8b 0x4 0x6), Ervine 20 (37b 1x4 0x6), Bumrah 6-2-13-2, Chahal 2-0-6-0.
21 overs: Chahal is bowling well but it would be good for his confidence if he can get a wicket. 2 runs from his second over. Zimbabwe 72/4.
20 overs: Yet another excellent over by Bumrah. Just 1 run and a wicket. Zimbabwe 70/4.
19.2 overs: OUT! Bumrah provides another wicket. After a disappointing previous over, good come back by Bumrah. Sibanda slashed hard at the ball bowled outside off-stump but was undone by a bit of extra bounce. Vusi Sibanda c Dhoni b Bumrah 5 (21b 0x4 0x6).
19 overs: Debutant Yuzvendra Chahal bowled his first over in international cricket. A good one it was. Just 4 runs from it. Zimbabwe 69/3.
18 overs: Expensive over by Bumrah. 9 runs off it but most of them were extras. Lost his line after that dropped catch. Zimbabwe 65/3.
17.1 overs: DROPPED! KL Rahul spilled a simple catch at second slip. Bumrah was disappointed, obviously. Life for Ervine.
17 overs: There was no boundary but Ervine and Sibanda milked Axar around to get 6 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 56/3.
16 overs: Another maiden over by Bumrah. 1 run came in the over but that was through leg bye. Zimbabwe 50/3.
15 overs: Just 2 runs from Axar's second over. He is keeping it tight. Shouldn't he go for the wickets? Zimbabwe 49/3. Ervine 9 (14b 1x4 0x6), Sibanda 1 (9b 0x4 0x6), Patel 2-0-5-0, Bumrah 2-1-2-1.
14 overs: Maiden-wicket over for Bumrah. Excellent stuff from the fast bowler with a very different action. Zimbabwe 47/3.
13.1 overs: OUT! Bumrah is back and how. Excellent delivery to flatten Chibhabha's over off-stump. Chamu Chibhabha b Bumrah 13 (42b 0x4 0x6).
13 overs: Axar Patel brought into attack. Bumrah bowled just one over in between. What are Dhoni's plans for him? We will know soon. Good, economical over by Axar. Just 3 singles from the over. Zimbabwe 47/2.
12 overs: Dhoni continued with Sran. Most expensive over of the match it was. 9 runs from it with a FOUR by Craig Ervine. Zimbabwe 44/2.
11 overs: Dhoni brought Bumrah into attack for the first time. Good over by him. 3 runs came off the over, including 2 extras. Zimbabwe 35/2.
10 overs: Just 2 runs from Sran's over. Indian bowlers clearly dominated the first powerplay. Zimbabwe 32/2. Chibhabha 10 (32b 0x4 0x6), Ervine 0 (2b 0x4 0x6), Sran 5-0-16-1, Kulkarni 5-1-15-1.
9 overs: Successful over by Kulkarni. Just 4 runs and he finally got a wicket after continuously beating the bat. Zimbabwe 30/2.
8.4 overs: OUT! Finally a wicket for Kulkarni. He swung the ball really well but the ball kept beating the bat. This time it took Masakadza's outer edge to settle in Dhoni's gloves. Hamilton Masakadza c †Dhoni b Kulkarni 14 (21b 2x4 0x6).
8 overs: First big over Zimbabwe. 8 runs came from Sran's over. Masakadza hit the first boundary of their innings. Zimbabwe 26/1. Masakadza 10 (17b 1x4 0x6), Chibhabha 8 (26b 0x4 0x6), Sran 4-0-14-1, Kulkarni 4-1-11-0.
7.4 overs: FOUR! First boundary of Zimbabwe's innings. Maskadza pulled Sran's short ball to square leg boundary.
7 overs: Maiden over by Kulkarni. Zimbabwe 18/1.
6 overs: Another 2-run over. Sran continues to test Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe 18/1.
5 overs: Indian bowlers are doing well. Not allowing Zimbabwe batsmen any opportunity to score runs. Just 2 from Kulkarni's third over. Zimbabwe 16/1. Chibhabha 6 (21b 0x4 0x6), Masakadza 2 (4b 0x4 0x6), Kulkarni 3-0-11-0, Sran 2-0-4-1.
4 overs: Sran is giving wides that help release the pressure on Zimbabwe batsmen. Three runs off the over. Zimbabwe 14/1.
3 overs: Good over by Kulkarni. He continued to swing the ball. Just 3 runs off it. Zimbabwe 11/1.
2 overs: Excellent bowling by Sran. Swung the ball very well. Though there were just 2 runs from the over, none came through the bat. Zimbabwe 8/1.
1.6 overs: OUT! Barinder Sran provided the first wicket with an in-swinging full-length ball. Moor played across the line and received the ball on his pad. Peter Moor lbw b Sran 3 (5b 0x4 0x6).
1 over: Good over by Kulkarni. He made Zimbabwe openers uncomfortable with is swing and pace. There were a couple awkward-looking pushes which luckily went to the unmanned areas. 6 runs from the over. Zimbabwe 6/0. Moor 3 (2b 0x4 0x6), Chibhabha 3 (4b 0x4 0x6), Kulkarni 1-0-6-0
Players are on the ground. Peter Moor and Chamu Chibhabha to open the innings for Zimbabwe. For India, Dhawal Kulkarni to start the proceedings.
PLAYING XIs
INDIA: Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (C) (W), Axar Patel, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Yuzvendra Chahal.
ZIMBABWE: Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami (W), Vusi Sibanda, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Peter Moor, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer (C), Taurai Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara.
HERE is the trophy for which India and Zimbabwe are going to compete... Take a look:
There were some strong words from Zimbabwe coach Makhaya Ntini at the press conference yesterday: "We want to compete with the big boys. We're creating a new venture here. We want to make sure that this country gets to play more games, and if you send us a team that is not your strongest team, we're going to put them under the carpet so that they go home and tell people that they need to send their strongest team."
TOSS: India win toss and opt to bowl first against Zimbabwe.
TRIVIA: India have had a different captain in each of their last four tours to Zimbabwe - MS Dhoni in 2016, Ajinkya Rahane in 2015, Virat Kohli in 2013 and Suresh Raina in 2010.
Three players are making debuts for India today. Karnataka batsmen KL Rahul and Karun Nair and Haryana leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal received their caps from MS Dhoni.
Team India has reached the ground. Here are the pictures of their arrival:
SQUADS
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wk), KL Rahul, Faiz Fazal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Mandeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Axar Patel.
Zimbabwe: Graeme Cremer (captain), Tendai Chatara, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Tendai Chisoro, Craig Ervine, Neville Madziva, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Wellington Masakadza, Peter Moor, Twanada Mupariwa, Richard Mutumbami (wk), Taurai Muzarabani, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Sean Williams.
PREVIEW
He has mostly led a formidable bunch of limited-overs specialists but it will be a different sort of challenge for Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he captains a new-look Indian cricket team against Zimbabwe in the first ODI of a short series starting.
Over the years, the series in Zimbabwe has always featured limited-overs matches played post-IPL where the BCCI sends its second-string outfits to test the bench strength.
The second string outfits have, in fact, effected back-to-back whitewashes 5-0 and 3-0 in 2013 and 2015 respectively.
It was supposed to be no different this time around as well. The squad of 15 comprises as many as five uncapped players (including KL Rahul, who is yet to make his limited-overs debut) but it has gained special significance because of Dhoni, who will be playing in the African nation after 11 long years.
The last time when Dhoni played in Zimbabwe back in 2005, his international career was barely six months old and a certain Sourav Ganguly was still in charge of the 'Men In Blue'.
But now the situation is different post his retirement from Test cricket and Virat Kohli's Bradmanesque form in the past six months leading to calls of his removal from captaincy.
While he may not be battling to save his captaincy yet but tours like the one about to start in Zimbabwe are the proverbial 'banana peel' for any top cricketer.
A series win will never be feted as it is something that everyone expects to be accomplished but at the same time any unexpected result will send the kind of shock waves that the Jharkhand dasher just would not fancy at the moment.
With India having a Test heavy home schedule this year with a few ODIs and T20s against New Zealand and England, this is Dhoni's last chance to be in the mix as he won't be playing a lot in the next few months. India will be embarking on a Test tour of the Caribbean after this assignment.
If one has a look at the team, the gulf between Dhoni and the rest of the squad will stare at anyone who cares. While Dhoni has played a total of 275 ODIs, the rest of the squad cumulatively has 83 matches to their credit.
Also if one takes away Ambati Rayudu (31 matches) and Axar Patel (22)'s participation, the seven others have a total of 30 matches to their names.
More so, save for KL Rahul, none of the other youngsters in this team will be boarding the flight to West Indies for the Test series.
Most of the players selected are by no means in the scheme of things once the first team players come back but someone like Manish Pandey knows that it will be an opportunity for him to stake claim to Suresh Raina's place when India will be playing their real first XI in future.
Ditto for Karun Nair, who will look to translate his decent IPL form into good scores in international games.
For Axar, it is an opportunity to show the critics that he is more than just a one-dimensional spinner while Rayudu will also be itching to regain his lost confidence post the home series against South Africa last year after which he was dropped.
Dhoni has always had a liking for potent left-arm bowlers in his team and the skipper won't mind if Barinder Sran -- after a decent IPL -- can prove to be at least 35 to 40 percent of the bowler that Ashish Nehra has been for India in limited overs cricket.
Jaydev Unadkat did not get too many chances in IPL but he would like to show that his is not a surprise selection.
Speedster Jasprit Bumrah, who has been Dhoni's 'Go To' bowler in recent T20 Internationals, with his lethal yorkers, is again expected to shoulder the burden of being the strike bowler. Similarly Dhawal Kulkarni will aim to cash in on his IPL form.
The challenge for KL Rahul will be to prove that he can be as effective in shorter versions as he is in the longest format, where he already has two Test tons.
When pint-sized right-hand batsman Kedar Jadhav played his last ODI against the same opposition at the Harare Sports Club ground, he had scored a hundred knowing fully well that the next chance will be hard to come by.
It will be after nearly one year that he is likely to get an opportunity to don the Blue jersey again.
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal's performance will also be closely monitored after a fantastic IPL as Amit Mishra has not exactly been favoured in the shorter versions. Chahal has a big leg break as well as an effective googly.
A few wickets will not do him any harm considering that India will be playing a lot on spin-friendly wickets during the home stretch at the end of the year.
This brings one to off-spinner Jayant Yadav, left-handed opener Faiz Fazal and right-handed middle-order batsman Mandeep Singh -- all decent domestic performers in their own rights. It will be interesting to see who among them can catch the skipper's attention and get their maiden India ODI cap.
Jayant, with his restrictive off-spin, stands a better chance but will have to slog it out with seam bowling all-rounder Rishi Dhawan for a place in the XI.
Fazal being a specialist opener also can fancy his chances. Mandeep's fight is a tougher one as he would be competing with Kedar, Karun and Manish.
Consistency has been Zimbabwe's real problem over the years, not to forget the dip in the skill level and quality of players that have emerged from the ranks.
Still Vusimuzi Sibanda, Elton Chigumbura, Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza, Craig Ervine and Sean Williams are some of the familiar names, who have played long enough and can cause a few problems for the rookie Indians.
Chigumbura, in fact, will be the third Zimbabwean player after Flower brothers -- Andy (213 ODIs)and Grant (221 ODIs) -- to complete a coveted landmark of 200 ODIs for his country.