Zimbabwe would rue losing far too many wickets in the powerplay while not being able to handle the pace the Indian bowlers generated. From 26 for three, the hosts put on a modest 125 for seven which was never going to be challenging enough. There is no gap between the second and the final T20I, which will be played on Sunday in the short series.

Young pacer Mayank Yadav, making his international return after a 21-month injury layoff, hit high speeds and extracted sharp bounce to rattle the Zimbabwe bowlers. Medium-pacer Prince Yadav chipped in two scalps, while debutant Ashok Sharma showcased impressive raw pace in an encouraging debut. 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set the record for being the youngest to score a T20I half-century. The young batter would have been relieved getting the monkey off his back, especially when he was specifically targeted with short balls on England tour.

Young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 19-ball 50 and Mayank Yadav's fiery 4-0-18-2 set up an important win for India in the opening match here, against an opponent which has thrived in home conditions of late. India chased down a modest 126 with more than six overs and seven wickets to spare, riding on Sooryavanshi's fifty, a quickfire 35 from Ishan Kishan and a measured 28 not out from skipper Iyer.

On recovery path with their maiden win under new captain Shreyas Iyer, India will look to sustain the winning momentum for an unassailable lead against Zimbabwe when the two teams face off in the second T20I. After being swept away by Ireland (0-2) and England (0-4), three-time T20 World Cup winners India produced a far better show in their series-opener on Thursday, beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the second T20I of the three-match series between India and Zimbabwe, straight from Harare Sports Club, Harare. Stay tuned for all the live updates.