The Sunday Mail
Zimbabwe 168 (49.5) Chigumbura 41, Raza 23
India 173-1 (42.3) (Rahul 100*, Rayudu 62*)
ZIMBABWE were awful as they fell to a nine-wicket defeat to India at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
The Chevrons were bowled out for paltry 168 as the visitors took a 1-0 lead in three match One-day International series.
India strolled to the target, with debutant Lokesh Rahul’s maiden century powering them to victory with 45 balls to spare.
Rahul (100*) became the 11th player in history and first from India to score a century on debut as he shared a 162-run partnership with Ambit Rayudu (62*) for the second wicket. This was after the loss of their only wicket, when another debutant, Karun Nair, fell for seven.
Nair was caught in the covers off the bowling of Tendai Chatara to leave India 11-1 after four overs.Zimbabwe should have built on that to protect what was always going to be a tenuous total, but Rayudu and Rahul made batting look easy as they romped to a victory that had been set up by an impressive bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah’s four-for-28.
Elton Chigumbura’s 41 off 65 balls was Zimbabwe’s only notable batting display in a dull innings that was threatened as early as the second over.
Barinder Sran trapped Peter Moor for three (LBW) with a full in-swinger to leave the hosts reeling at 8-1.As expected on a Harare Sports Club morning, there was some movement for bowlers. It was not surprising that the first boundary came in the seventh over courtesy of a Hamilton Masakadza pull off Sran.
The Indian attack’s opening pair of Dhawal Kulkarni and Sran vindicated skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s bowl-first decision as Zimbabwe lost four wickets for 47 runs.
They struggled to build partnerships, collapsing from 30-2 when Masakadza edged behind, to 77-5 when Chibhabha had his off-stump uprooted by Jasprit Bumrah, who also removed Vusi Sibanda who came in at five.
Craig Ervine, after being dropped in the slips on 13, succumbed meekly to a Patel short delivery.
Someone had to put in the hard work for Zimbabwe, and the union of Sikandar Raza 23 (54) and Elton Chigumbura of 38 (42) breathed some life in the Chevron’s tepid innings.
But when Raza inside-edged Sran to leave Zimbabwe at 115-6 after 37 overs, the total was never going to be a great one.
Richmond Mutumbami and Chigumbura hustled for 25 runs for the seventh wicket before the former was caught in the deep to give debutant leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal his first international wicket.
Chigumbura, who was running out of batting partners, was given a reprieve on 37 when he was caught in the deep of a Bumrah no-ball.
However, he never capitalised on that as he was sent off the park by the same bowler for 41 two overs later.Bumrah got Chatara – his fourth wicket of the day – three balls later to leave the Indian batsmen with a doable task.
Lance Klusner, the Chevrons’ new batting coach, admitted that he had his work cut out for him.
“I think there is a lot to work with, it’s a matter of making sure we find the right balance of how everybody fits in and how we want to work. There is no doubt the talent is there, it’s a matter of finding a game plan, a niche for everybody on how they want to play. Form the team point of view we are not happy with way we played,” he said.
For Rahul it was dream innings.
“I enjoyed myself and I enjoyed my innings definitely it’s great for me to get a hundred and also to get it in your first ODI match it’s something special. I have just come from a good IPL (Indian Premier League season) and I have carried the same momentum and the confidence into this game.”
