India vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI, Highlights: KL Rahul's Maiden Ton Takes Ind To Victory

Spectacular bowling from Indian pacers backed up by tight spells from spinners Axar Patel and debutant Yuzvendra Chahal helped India stop Zimbabwe to a paltry total of 168. Elton Chigumbura was the only one who showed some grit with the bat for hosts with his knock of 41. In reply, KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu shared an unbeaten 162-run stand to help India take a one-nil lead in the three-match series. Catch all the highlights of this match here (SCORECARD | NEWS)

20:15 hrs IST: And that's it. Thank you for joining us tonight. Do join us on Monday for the live coverage of the second ODI. Until then, it's goodbye. Cheers!

KL Rahul (Man of the Match): "I enjoyed my batting. The wicket was tough, so I couldn't be complacent. I wanted to play out the new ball, and then take it from there. I'm really satisfied with the way I carried on and stayed not out in the end. I just got told by the manager that I was the first Indian to get a century on debut. I wasn't thinking much, there was just one way to get to a century. I wanted to hold my shape and just hit it."

MS Dhoni (India's skipper): "It was a very good performance. I felt the fast bowlers did well, and were backed by the spinners even though there wasn't much help for them. A win first up is important in a three-game series. The batsmen did a very good job, but the bowlers laid the ground work."

Graeme Cremer (Zimbabwe's skipper): "We didn't get enough runs. Maybe if we would have got to 220, it could have been a different story. We lost a couple of wickets to good balls, but few of the guys didn't kick on after getting 20s and 30s. Indian batsmen showed how easy batting can get once you get in. Our seamers bowled well, but it just didn't go our way."

Congratulations Team India. Great start to the series. Well Done @RayuduAmbati & @klrahul11! You guys deserve it! pic.twitter.com/drHydrkxiY

- Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 11, 2016

19:40 hrs IST: SIX! And that's hundred for Rahul. What a knock from him! India beat Zimbabwe by nine wickets to secure a one-nil lead in the three match series. 

19:28 hrs IST: Single and that's 150-run partnership between Rayudu and Rahul.

19:19 hrs IST: Seven runs off Masakadza's first. India now require 13 off 66 balls. 

19:10 hrs IST: FOUR! 6th boundary for Rahul. He moves to 78. India now require 25 off 84 balls. 

KL Rahul (R) and Ambati Rayudu shared an unbeaten 162-run partnership to guide India to their first victory of the tour.

© AFP

18:59 hrs IST: Single and that's fifty for Rayudu. His sixth in ODIs. 

18:52 hrs IST: Rayudu nears fifty. India now require 45 off 114 balls. 

18:44 hrs IST: 12 runs off the last three overs. India now require 59 off 132 balls. Looks easy for them now! 

18:34 hrs IST: Three runs off Cremer's fourth. India now require 71 off 150 balls. 

18:28 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Chatara. India are 95/1 after 24 overs. 

18:24 hrs IST: Single and that's maiden ODI fifty for Rahul. Well played lad! 

18:21 hrs IST: India are 83/1 after 22 overs. 

18:19 hrs IST: FOUR! Length ball from Chatara, Rayudu dances down the track and slashes it to wide long-on boundary. 

18:15 hrs IST: FOUR! Half-volley from Chigumbura and Rayudu thumps it over bowler's head for a cracking boundary. 

18:07 hrs IST: FOUR! Short ball from Chigumbura and Rahul cuts it over the backward point fielder for his third boundary. India are 68/1 after 19 overs. 

17:55 hrs IST: India are 50/1 after 17 overs. 

17:48 hrs IST: Three runs off Chigumbura's first. India are 40/1 after 15 overs. 

17:43 hrs IST: Chigumbura comes into attack. He is playing his 200th ODI today. 

17:42 hrs IST: India are 37/1 after 14 overs. 

17:40 hrs IST: Unless Zimbabwe take wickets, it is going to be an easy ride for India. 

17:32 hrs IST: Slow going for India. Just five runs in the last three overs. 

17:20 hrs IST: India are 25/1 after 9 overs. 

17:14 hrs IST: FOUR! Overpitched delivery from Muzarabani and Rahul times it well in the gap between long-on and covers. Looks in great form! 

17:12 hrs IST: Five runs off Chatara's fourth. India are 17/1 after 7 overs. 

17:09 hrs IST: FOUR! Wide delivery from Chatara, Rahul rocks back and powers it over covers for his first boundary. Beautiful shot! 

17:02 hrs IST: WICKET! Nair c Raza b Chatara 7(20). India are 11/1 after 4.3 overs.

#ZIMvIND Killer Cup Zimbabwe vs India ODI Series roars to life https://t.co/8RoYKPGI1A pic.twitter.com/VeU5I8ov81

- Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) June 11, 2016

16:55 hrs IST: Tidy over from Chatara. Just one run off it. India are 9/0 after 3 overs. 

16:50 hrs IST: FOUR! Half-volley from Muzarabani and Nair drives it well past extra cover for his first boundary. India are 8/0 after 2 overs.  

16:46 hrs IST: Single of the last ball for Nair. India are 4/0 after first over. 

16:45 hrs IST: Fuller delivery from Chatara and Nair flicks it to mid-wicket for two runs. 

16:43 hrs IST: Short and wide from Chatara and Rahul works it away to deep backward point for his first runs of the day. 

16:41 hrs IST: Welcome back. Time for action. Rahul and Nair to open for India. Chatara to bowl the first over. 

16:00 hrs IST: And that's it. Bumrah takes his fourth wicket as Zimbabwe's innings finishes on 168. We'll be back in a few minutes time. 

15:54 hrs IST: Five runs off Sran's last. He also finishes with the figures of 2/42. Zimbabwe are 166/8 after 49 overs. 

15:48 hrs IST: Zimbabwe are 161/8 after 48 overs. 

15:40 hrs IST: Four runs and a wicket off Kulkarni's last. He finishes with the figures of 2/42. Zimbabwe are 156/8 after 47 overs. 

15:30 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Kulkarni and Cremer pulls it away to deep mid-wicket boundary. 180 would be a challenging total. 

#ZIMvIND We are now into the last 30 balls how much can Zimbabwe score? #HuyaUone pic.twitter.com/O5OIURu0QN

- Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) June 11, 2016

15:27 hrs IST: WICKET! Mutumbami c Rahul b Chahal 15(27). Zimbabwe are 141/7 after 44 overs. Excellent spell from Chahal. He finishes with the figures of 1/26. 

15:22 hrs IST: FOUR! Overpitched from Sran and Mutumbami smacks it to long-off for his second boundary. Zimbabwe are 138/6 after 43 overs. 

15:14 hrs IST: Chigumbura trying his best to resurrect Zimbabwe's innings. Few big hits and Zimbabwe would be well and truly back in the match. On the other hand, India's bowling has been great but fielding has been really sloppy. 

15:07 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Mutumbami. Zimbabwe are 118/6 after 39 overs. 

15:04 hrs IST: OUT! Raza b Sran 23(54). Zimbabwe are 116/6 after 38 overs. 

14:57 hrs IST: Time for Dhoni to get back Bumrah into the attack. His yorkers are most likely to skittle Zimbabwe out soon. 

14:51 hrs IST: Zimbabwe are 109/5 after 35 overs. Time for drinks. 

14:46 hrs IST: Zimbabwe are 105/5 after 34 overs. 

14:38 hrs IST: Single and 100 up for Zimbabwe in 31.3 overs. 

14:37 hrs IST: FOUR! Back of a length delivery from Kulkarni and Raza pulls it over mid-wicket for one bounce four. 

14:35 hrs IST: Just four runs off Chahal's seventh. He is generating some sharp turn here. Zimbabwe are 95/5 after 31 overs. 

14:29 hrs IST: Two boundaries in consecutive overs for Zimbabwe. Just what they need at this stage. Chigumbura and Raza need to build a partnership here. 

14:25 hrs IST: 114 dots in the innings so far. Zimbabwe in desperate need of boundaries. They are 81/5 after 27 overs. 

14:20 hrs IST: Maiden over from Chahal. Zimbabwe are 77/5 after 25 overs. 

14:17 hrs IST: WICKET! Ervine c Fazal b Axar 21(45). 

14:09 hrs IST: Just three runs in the last overs for Zimbabwe. Only three boundaries have been hit by their batsmen so far. 

14:02 hrs IST: OUT! Sibanda c Dhoni b Bumrah 5(21). Can he get a five-fer? Zimbabwe are 70/4 after 20 overs. 

13:57 hrs IST: Four runs off Chahal's first. As of now, no turn for the spinners. Zimbabwe are 69/3 after 19 overs. 

13:55 hrs IST: Leggie Chahal now. 

13:53 hrs IST: Bumrah covers it up with two good length deliveries. Ervine takes a single of the last ball to make it a nine-run over for Zimbabwe. They are 65/3 after 18 overs. 

13:50 hrs IST: FIVE-WIDES! Poor bowling from Bumrah. Dhoni clearly isn't happy. 

13:43 hrs IST: Two more quick wickets and Zimbabwe will be in danger of getting dismissed inside 150. 

13:36 hrs IST: Maiden wicket over from Bumrah. Zimbabwe are 47/3 after 14 overs. 

Jasprit Bumrah got rid of Chamu Chibhabha as Zimbabwe found the going hard at Harare Sports Club.

© AFP

13:34 hrs IST: WICKET! The late inswinger from Bumrah does it for India. Chibhabha b Bumrah 13(42). 

13:32 hrs IST: Three runs off Axar's first. Zimbabwe are 47/2 after 13 overs. 

13:30 hrs IST: Axar Patel into the attack. He last played an ODI vs SA in October 2015. 

13:28 hrs IST: FOUR! Too short from Sran and Ervine flat-bats the pull over the bowler's head for his first boundary. Zimbabwe are 44/2 after 12 overs. 

13:24 hrs IST: Sran to continue. 

13:23 hrs IST: A no-ball and a wide from Bumrah. Struggling a bit to find the correct length but still gives away just two runs. 

13:18 hrs IST: End of the powerplay. Zimbabwe are 32/2 after 10 overs. Bumrah into the attack now. 

13:15 hrs IST: Four runs and a wicket of Kulkarni's fifth. Zimbabwe are 30/2 after 9 overs. 

13:12 hrs IST: WICKET! Masakadza c Dhoni b Kulkarni 14(21). 

13:09 hrs IST: Three runs off the last ball for Masakadza. Good over for Zimbabwe. Eight runs off it. They are 26/1 after 8 overs. 

13:08 hrs IST: FOUR! And it's the first boundary of the day for Masakadza and Zimbabwe. Short delivery from Sran and Masakadza pulls it hard off the front foot over square leg. 

13:04 hrs IST: Same story. Tight bowling from India and Zimbabwe batsmen finding it difficult to get boundaries. 

12:55 hrs IST: Another brilliant over from Kulkarni. Mixing his length well and sticking well to his outswinger. After 5 overs, Zimbabwe are 16/1. 

12:52 hrs IST: Sran has been really impressive so far. Giving no room to both Masakadza and Chibhabha to go for their shots. Exactly the kind of start Dhoni would have wanted from him. Zimbabwe are 14/1 after 4 overs.  

12:48 hrs IST: Masakadza gets off the mark with a quick single towards short mid-on. 

12:46 hrs IST: Tidy over from Kulkarni. Just three runs off it. Zimbabwe yet to score a boundary. 

12:42 hrs IST: OUT! Moor lbw Sran 3(5). Excellent over from Sran. Deserved a wicket! Zimbabwe are 8/1 after 2 overs. 

12:38 hrs IST: Sran to share the new ball with Kulkarni. 

12:37 hrs IST: Two runs off the last ball for Moor. Zimbabwe are 6/0 after first over.

12:36 hrs IST: Short and wide from Kulkarni, Chibhabha gets into position and cuts it past the fielder at point for three runs. 

12:34 hrs IST: Straightaway some shape for Kulkarni. Right on the money from the first ball. 

12:32 hrs IST: It's time for live action. Chibhabha and Moor to open for Zim. Kulkarni to start the proceedings for Ind. 

12:29 hrs IST: Time for national anthems. We're just two minutes away from the start of play. 

12:24 hrs IST: So Faiz Fazal will be have to wait for this chance. Would be interesting to see as to who opens alongside KL. Pandey is not a regular opener and Nair bats in the middle-order for Karnataka. 

12:15 hrs IST: Ideal opportunity for Indian youngsters to stake their claim for a permanent spot in ODI setup! 

Captain @msdhoni with his @ZimCricketv counterpart @GraemeCremer at trophy unveiling ceremony #ZIMvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/KDny8PmnGY

- BCCI (@BCCI) June 11, 2016

12:07 hrs IST: Here are the playing XI of both teams: 

India: KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dhawal Kulkarni, Barinder Sran, Jasprit Bumrah

Zimbabwe: Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Richard Mutumbami (wk), Vusi Sibanda, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Peter Moor, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer (c), Taurai Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara

12:02 hrs IST: Indian skipper MS Dhoni wins the toss and elects to bowl first. 

11:55 hrs IST: Toss in five minutes. 

11:52 hrs IST: STAT ATTACK - India and Zimbabwe have played nine ODIs (including the one in ICC World Cup 2015) in the past three years and the Men in Blue have won all of them. 

11:48 hrs IST: Yuzvendra Chahal has been presented his India cap by MS Dhoni. A proud moment for him indeed! KL Rahul and Karun Nair are also most likely to make their debut today. 

11:45 hrs IST: A warm welcome to our live coverage of the first ODI between India and Zimbabwe. MS Dhoni's young guns would be looking to make a mark straightaway against a side that has gone through a lot of changes in the recent past. 

MS Dhoni's inexperienced Indian side will be aiming to avoid a Zimbabwe side that has not won an ODI against them for six years.

© Getty Images

India are embarking on their third tour to Zimbabwe in the last four years. In the 2015 series, an inexperienced squad whitewashed Zimbabwe 3-0 in the ODIs. Having won nine ODIs on the trot, Dhoni's team are once again favorites heading into the first match at Harare.

With plenty of fresh faces in the squad, this series presents an opportunity for the likes of KL Rahul, Jayant Yadav and Faiz Fazal some opportunities. With Dhoni as the mentor, they will be hoping to make an impression as they look to seal a spot in the Indian team

For Zimbabwe, the build-up has not been ideal. With the sacking of coach Dav Whatmore and Hamilton Masakadza, the team is looking weaker. They will be led by Graeme Cremer, who will be captaining the side for the first time ever. Zimbabwe have won only three ODIs in the last two years and they will be desperate to win against an established Test-playing nation.