HARARE : Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck his maiden international half-century with a blistering 19-ball 50 as India eased to a seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the opening Twenty20 International in Harare on Thursday.
After electing to field, India restricted Zimbabwe to 125-7 in their 20 overs before comfortably chasing down the target with 40 balls to spare.
The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi produced a sparkling innings, smashing four fours and four sixes at Harare Sports Club before falling for 50, caught at deep third man off Richard Ngarava after top-edging an attempted shot.
The left-hander bettered his previous highest international score of 15, having endured a difficult debut series in England earlier this month.
“I think the boys were tremendous,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said. “Couldn’t have been happier with my first win (as captain). There was bounce from a good length and it was also variable.
“We are going to play two more matches here, so today’s performance gives everyone some confidence. I think Vaibhav has played here, he got 175 in the Under-19 World Cup final, so he knows the conditions.”
Iyer remained unbeaten on 28 from 24 deliveries, while Ishan Kishan contributed 35 from 24 balls as India completed the chase with ease.
Wessly Madhevere top-scored for Zimbabwe with 39 off 34 balls, but none of his teammates managed to build a substantial innings.
Zimbabwe handed T20 international debuts to batter Ben Curran and medium pacer Newman Nyamhuri, while seamer Ashok Sharma made his first international appearance for India.
The second match of the three-game series will be played in Harare on Saturday, with the final fixture scheduled for Sunday.
