Zimbabwe v India 1st ODI: 5 Talking Points

KL Rahul proved his mettle in the One Day format with a massive six to seal a massive nine-wicket win for the Indians in the first ODI of the ZIM v IND series. Rahul also brought up his maiden ODI century in his debut ODI. The victory also meant that the prophecy of Makhaya Ntini of the bowlers flattening the Indian batting unit was horribly wrong. Ambati Rayudu also played a wonderful knock and remained unbeaten on 62. Jasprit Bumrah shined with the ball as he picked up 4 wickets with Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni picking up 2 wickets apiece. Amid the plethora of talking points, we take a look at five major talking points in the match.

1. Three debutantes in Indian squad

The Indians went into the match handing debuts to three players. KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Karun Nair were all handed their sky-blue caps by skipper MS Dhoni. However, in a rare event, all three of India’s debutantes performed extremely well with the exception of the unfortunate Karun Nair. Chahal went on to pick a wicket while KL Rahul smashed a magnificent century, a perfect way to get off the mark in an ODI career.

2. Seamers peg Zimbabwe back

Having won the toss, MS Dhoni invited Graeme Cremer and his men to bat first. With the flat wicket assisting both batsmen and bowlers, Chamu Chibhabha and Peter Moor made their way out to bat. However, the pace and movement of Barinder Sran and Dhawal Kulkarni seemed too hot to handle as the two openers were sent back to the haven of the dressing room a few short minutes spent at the wicket. Kulkarni and Sran would eventually go on to pick up 2 wickets apiece while the spinners seemed content with the solitary wicket apiece.

3. Bumrah shines

Jasprit Bumrah has been somewhat of a breakthrough for the Indian team in recent times. Having made his international debut down under, Bumrah played a key role for the Indians in the World T20. In spite of bowling a few no-balls and wides initially, Bumrah went on to claim four Zimbabwean wickets as he conceded just 28 runs. Some of these scalps included important wickets of Chibhabha, Chigambura, and Vusi Sibanda.

Also read – Twitter Reactions: KL Rahul’s brilliant hundred on debut guides India to a 9 wicket victory

4. KL Rahul all the way

In spite of making his initial claim to fame in the Test series against Australia at Perth, KL Rahul certainly had unfinished business when it came to the ODI format. Rahul smashed the ball all around the park despite the conditions proving to be difficult for batsmen who were particularly chasing. Rahul added the icing on the cake as he smashed a six of the very last ball of the Indian innings, therefore concluding the match as well as bringing up his century.

5. Rayudu plays a supportive innings

Ambati Rayudu has been one of the best players in the country on the domestic circuit. Having finally got his call to the ODI setup, it is seldom that the 30-year old doesn’t make the most of his opportunity. This time around, despite the loss of the wicket of Karun Nair, Rayudu weathered the storm with his partner-in-crime KL Rahul. The 30-year old seasoned batsman smashed a wonderfully compiled 62 as the Indians went on to cruise to a win. He remained unbeaten in his compilation as well.