Zimbabwe vs India 2013: India beat Zimbabwe by six wickets in the first ODI

Indian players celebrate a fall of wicket

Indian captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl first, hoping to make use of conditions that were expected to ease out after the first hour. Ambati Rayudu and Jaydev Unadkat made their ODI debuts for India, while Cheteshwar Pujara was left out.

Although the Indian fast bowlers got appreciable assistance from the pitch, the cautious approach of the Zimbabwe batsmen and a bit of luck meant that they went wicket-less for 21.4 overs. However, once Amit Mishra was introduced, the home team started losing the plot. Zimbabwean batsmen’s inability to pick Mishra’s variations meant that poor shots were being played.

The opener Sikandar Raza held one end firm to make sure Zimbabwe did not collapse and top scored with 82 off 112 deliveries. Elton Chigumbura’s late blitz helped his team set a target of 229 for India. Mishra took 3 for 43 in his quota of ten overs.

Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma were dismissed cheaply in the chase but Kohli and Rayudu put together a partnership worth 159 of 171 deliveries to seal the fate of the match. The Indian captain notched up his 15th ODI century before holing out at long on with only 13 more runs needed for the victory.

Suresh Raina was soon dismissed for a duck. However, Rayudu took India home, scoring 63 not out in 84 balls. Dinesh Karthik, having scored 8 runs, remained not out at the other end.

Prosper Utseya was the pick of Zimbabwean bowlers with two wickets for 34 runs in his ten overs. Virat Kohli received the man of the match award for his 115 of 108 deliveries.