By: Tarish Bhatt
KL Rahul, making his ODI debut, measured the two-paced surface of the Harare Cricket Club pretty well, and went on to score a memorable hundred in his first match in the limited-overs cricket.
The Indian opener displayed his array of shots oncourse of an unbeaten hundred, and stamped himself as a serious contender for a place in the top-order when the men in blue take on big teams in the coming months.
Rahul completed his maiden century by hitting a six over the long-on. Thus, becoming the first Indian player to score a century on debut, and 11th overall in world cricket.
He, alongwith Ambati Rayudu, who completed 1000 runs in ODI cricket, helped the Indian team in registering a thumping nine-wicket win over minnows Zimbabwe.
An unbeaten 162-run partnership between Rahul, who channalised his IPL form into the limited-overs cricket, and Rayudu ensured India go one match up in the three-match series.
Earlier, Zimbabwe could only manage to post 168 runs on the board, as the Indian fast bowlers – Dhawal Kulkarni, Barinder Sran and Jasprit Bumrah – proved too good to handle for them.
Apart from Elton Chigumbura, and to some extent Craig Ervine and Sikandar Raza, none of the Zimbabwe batsmen managed to put a fight, and were eventually bundled inside 50 overs.
Bumrah was the wrecker-in-chief and finished with four wickets, while Sran and Kulkarni took each, while swinging the new-ball both ways. Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel, meanwhile, took one apiece.
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