India won the first T20I at the Harare Sports Club by seven wickets, thanks to a masterclass in aggressive fast bowling from dynamic Delhi-based fast bowling combination Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, before teenage batting phenom Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history with an 18-ball half-century.

While Shivam Dube and Ravi Bishnoi each claimed one wicket, Mayank claimed 2-18 and Prince 2-19. Zimbabwe was on the verge of scoring under 100 runs at 32/4. Zimbabwe did not lose many wickets later thanks to Ryan Burl (26), Wessly Madhevere (39), and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27 not out), who also helped them pass the 120-mark.

As Sooryavanshi’s 18-ball fifty, with four boundaries and as many sixes, made him the youngest player to score a half-century in international cricket, the chase was always going to be a stroll in the park for India. As India reached home with 40 balls remaining and took a 1-0 lead in the three-game series, his blitzkrieg rendered the chase a mere formality.

Shreyas Iyer also won as India’s T20I captain on his eighth try, thanks to the outcome. After a 21-month layoff due to injury, Mayank wasted little time having an impact in international cricket. He delivered a 144 kmph thunderbolt off the first ball of the game, which nipped away and caught Brian Bennett’s edge behind, resulting in a golden duck following a successful review by keeper Ishan Kishan.

Prince made sure the pressure was relentless from the other side even if debutant pacer Ashok Sharma was hit for consecutive boundaries by fellow debutant Ben Curran. Prince struck with his second ball in the fourth over of the attack, as Curran mishit a pull straight to midwicket.

Mayank next exploited his speed to harass Dion Myers, who gently chipped a length ball to mid-on, while skipper Sikandar Raza only scored four runs before hitting a back-of-a-length delivery from Shivam Dube directly to deep square leg.

Ryan Burl tried to restore himself with a few powerful strokes, including one six off deep mid-wicket by Dube. Burl, however, was unable to clear the long-off boundary, allowing leg-spinner Bishnoi to end their 32-run stand. Madhevere led the hosts’ late push as the death overs began.

He used anything loose to his advantage, sweeping Bishnoi over long-on for a six and collecting consecutive boundaries off Ashok Sharma. With a strong six off Dube, Marumani provided crucial support, propelling the hosts beyond the 100-run mark. India, however, re-established tight command in the last over.

When he attempted to sneak a second run after a good throw from Dube, Madhevere’s beneficial stay came to an end. Prince then dismissed Brad Evans on the very next ball for a duck as he misjudged a full toss and hit it straight to mid-off, capping off a clinical performance by the Indian bowlers.

Sooryavanshi destroyed Richard Ngarava in the second over, chasing 126 and hitting 20 runs by slamming two enormous sixes and a boundary. Despite Blessing Muzarabani dismissing Abhishek Sharma (1) in the third over, Sooryavanshi didn’t lose his momentum.

Sooryavanshi kept up his attack against Evans, hitting him for two boundaries in a row, and then smashing Muzarabani for two fours and a six down the ground. He did this by moving around the crease efficiently and hitting the pull shot effectively.

Even as Sooryavanshi completed his first international half-century in just 18 balls at the same location where he hit an explosive 175 in this year’s U19 World Cup final, Ishan Kishan took advantage of debutant Newman Nyamhuri’s shoddy lines to score three boundaries from the other end.

In the seventh over, he top-edged Ngarava to deep third man, which brought his knock to an end on the very next ball. At that point, India was in a dominant position, and Kishan, together with Shreyas Iyer (27 not out) and Tilak Varma (5 not out), made sure that India made it home without any additional issues.

Brief scores:
Zimbabwe 125/7 in 20 overs (Wessly Madhevere 39, Tadiwanashe Marumani 27 not out; Mayank Yadav 2-18, Prince Yadav 2-19)
India 126/3 in 13.2 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 50, Ishan Kishan 35; Blessing Muzarabani 2-26, Richard Ngarava 1-30)