India completed a comprehensive victory over Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club to commence their tour of the nation. It was a completely dominating performance by the MS Dhoni-led unit as they crushed Zimbabwe with relative ease in a short run chase. However, the day belonged to none other than the newest blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket – KL Rahul.
Chasing 169 to win, India lost opener Karun Nair early, before KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu stepped up. The duo initially was slow and cautious but soon came to the party with a string of attractive strokes. Rahul soon took over as the aggressor and with just 2 needed to win; he hit a massive six to get to his century. It was a performance which will surely make skipper MS Dhoni proud.
Below, are the player ratings for the Indian players for the first ODI.
- KL. Rahul (5/5):
Rahul became the first Indian to score a century on ODI debut, and the 11th batsman overall to do so. Rahul played exquisitely as all his strokes seemed to be pretty attractive. Despite losing his partner early in the run chase, Rahul kept his calm and maintained the flow of runs. The right-hander soon played some awe-inspiring strokes and a century was just the icing on the cake. Rahul has surely made his chance count and he has a bright future ahead of him.
- Karun. Nair (0.5/5):
While Rahul had an unforgettable debut, Nair had a forgettable outing as he was dismissed early in the run chase. Nair could just make 7 off 20 deliveries before he was caught by Sikandar Raza on the bowling of Tendai Chatara. Nair will have to make the most out of the second ODI if he is to make an impression.
- Ambati Rayudu (4/5):
Making his comeback into the ODI team, Rayudu played a fine knock to get the men in blue going after losing Karun Nair early. Rayudu supported KL Rahul excellently and his patience was worth appreciating as he kept his calm and didn’t get carried away. Rayudu ended up with 62 off 120 deliveries and in a small run chase, this was a pretty acceptable innings. However, the right-hander would want to increase his strike rate in the next game.
- Manish Pandey (NA)
- Kedar Jadhav (NA)
- MS. Dhoni:
Indian skipper MS Dhoni might not have had a hit in the middle, but his captaincy and wicketkeeping were spot on. Dhoni rotated his bowlers quite well and overall, his captaincy was crisp and to the point.
- Axar Patel (3.5/5):
Also making his comeback to the Indian side was all-rounder Axar Patel. The left arm spinner had a fine outing at Harare as he was brought into the bowling attack as the second change. Patel took a wicket and conceded just 26 runs in his 10 overs. He not just took an important scalp, but also was economical.
- Dhawal. Kulkarni (3.5/5):
Kulkarni opened the bowling for India and he was accurate throughout his 10 overs. The Mumbai pacer took two wickets at the expense of 42 runs in his 10 overs. Kulkarni would be eager to maintain his consistency in the matches to follow.
- Barinder Sran (3.5/5):
Sran was unlucky in his first spell as a close LBW shout was turned down on his bowling. However, the left-arm pacer didn’t let that bother him as he dismissed opener Peter Moor plumb in front. Sran in all got two wickets, and like Kulkarni conceded 42 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
- Jasprit Bumrah (4/5):
2016 has been a breakthrough year for Bumrah and this game was no different. Bumrah grabbed as many as 4 wickets today and conceded just 28 runs in 9.5 overs to dent the Zimbabwean batting charge. He surely has become skipper MS Dhoni’s go-to bowler now.
- Yuzvendra Chahal (3.5/5):
Chahal had a fantastic international debut as he bowled a lovely spell on a track which assisted him just a little bit. Chahal’s variations in pace were optimum as he kept the batsmen guessing. The leg-spinner got one wicket while giving away just 27 runs in 10 overs.