Zimbabwe beat Dhoni-led India narrowly

India (Shar)made eight changes to their playing (Pat)eleven – Rohit, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ashish Nehra made way for five Twenty20 International debutants (Lokesh Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Jaydev Unadkat and Yuzvendra Chahal), Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, and Axar.

Zimbabwe made five changes to the eleven that last played the Indians – Sean Williams, Charles Coventry, Craig Ervine, Prosper Utseya and Chris Mpofu made way for Richmond Mutumbami, Tinotenda Mutombodzi, Elton Chigumbura (the player of the match), Neville Madziva, and Donald Tiripano.

On winning the toss, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s skipper, inserted the hosts.

The Powerplay of Zimbabwe’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 41, and lost a wicket.

Hamilton Masakadza, whose 15-ball innings included a boundary and three sixes, scored 25. Twenty-seven balls into the match, he was caught by Dhoni. Jasprit Bumrah broke the 33-run stand.

Thirty-two balls into the match, Mutumbami – who had faced four balls, failing to open his account – retired hurt. Zimbabwe had scored 34 for the loss of a wicket at that point.

Zimbabwe scored 50 off 6.5 overs (41 balls). India had conceded an extra at that point.

Chamu Chibhabha, whose 19-ball innings included three boundaries, scored 20. Fifteen balls after Masakadza’s dismissal (and 10 balls after Mutumbami’s dismissal), Dhawan broke the 16-run stand.

Malcolm Waller, whose 21-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 30. Thirty-four balls later, Yuzvendra Chahal broke the 47-run stand.

The fourth-wicket pair put on a run. Sikandar Raza, whose 18-ball innings included a couple of boundaries, scored 20. Three balls later, Manish Pandey and Patel ran him out.

Zimbabwe scored 100 off 14 overs (84 balls). India had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Mutumbodzi, who faced eight balls, scored just three. A dozen balls after Raza’s dismissal, he was caught by Dhawan. Patel broke the 13-run stand.

Graeme Cremer, Zimbabwe’s skipper, faced five balls, scoring four. A dozen balls later, he was caught by Dhawan. Bumrah broke the 19-run stand.

Zimbabwe scored 150 off 18.5 overs (114 balls). India had conceded eight extras at that point.

Chigumbura’s half-century – which included a boundary and seven sixes – came off 25 balls. He eventually scored 54 off 26 balls, and was unbeaten, as was Madziva, who faced five balls, scoring as many.

India eventually conceded nine extras. Zimbabwe scored 170 for the loss of half-a-dozen wickets off 20 overs.

The five bowlers used four overs apiece. Unadkat, who was wicketless, conceded 43. Dhawan, Chahal and Patel bowled a wicket apiece. They scored 42, 38, and 18, respectively. Bumrah, whose spell including a maiden. He conceded 24, picking up a couple of scalps.

As Mutumbami was injured while batting, Waller kept wicket in his place.

The Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 44, and lost a couple of wickets.

India’s openers didn’t get off the mark. Rahul, who faced a ball, didn’t get off the mark. A ball into the chase, he was dismissed by Tiripano.

Rayudu, whose 16-ball innings included four boundaries, scored 19. Thirty-four balls later, Chibhabha broke the 44-run stand.

India scored 50 off 7.1 overs (43 balls). Zimbabwe had conceded a couple of extras at that point.

Singh, whose 27-ball innings included five boundaries, scored 31. Eleven balls after Rayudu’s dismissal, he was caught by Mutumbodzi. Chibhabha broke the 19-run stand.

Jadhav, whose 13-ball innings included a boundary and a six, scored (Muzaraba)nineteen. Twenty-eight balls later, Taurai broke the 37-run stand.

India scored 100 off 13.3 overs (81 balls). Zimbabwe had conceded four extras at that point.

The fifth-wicket pair put on 50 off 27 balls. While Pandey’s contribution to the partnership was 31, Dhoni’s contribution to it was a dozen. Extras’ contribution to the partnership was a dozen.

Pandey, whose 35-ball innings included a boundary and three sixes, eventually scored 48. Thirty balls later, he was caught by Tiripano. Muzarabani broke the 53-run partnership.

The man from Ranchi scoreD(ho)nineteen off 17 balls, which included a boundary. He was unbeaten.

India scored 150 off 17.5 overs (107 balls). Zimbabwe had conceded a dozen extras at that point.

Patel, whose nine-ball innings included a boundary and a couple of sixes, scored 18. A dozen balls later, he was caught by the substitute, Wellington Masakadza (Hamilton’s younger brother). Madziva broke the 21-run stand.

Dhawan, who faced a couple of balls, scored a run. He was unbeaten.

Zimbabwe eventually conceded 13 extras. India, who scored 168 for the loss of half-a-dozen extras off 20 overs, lost by a couple of runs. Cremer and Raza bowled three wicketless overs apiece. While the former conceded 35, the latter conceded 18.

Tiripano and Madziva bowled four overs each, picking up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 35, the latter conceded 34. Chibhabha, who bowled two overs, conceded 13. He picked up two scalps, as did Muzarabani, who bowled four overs, conceding 31.

Zimbabwe led the three-match series 1-0.