Twitter Reactions: KL Rahul's brilliant hundred on debut guides India to a 9 wicket victory

The new look Indian side guided by MS Dhoni took on Zimbabwe in the first ODI at Harare. India won a crucial toss as Dhoni elected to field first. For India, Nair, Chahal and KL Rahul made their ODI debuts.

Zimbabwe didn’t begin quite well as Sran struck in his first over. They struggled to put runs on the board. While players like Raza and Ervine got starts, they failed to convert it into big ones. Chigumbara was the highest run scorer with 41(65) as Zimbabwe got all out on the penultimate ball.

The Zimmers could only set a target of 169 for the Indian team. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers as he bowled a great spell and got 4 wickets in his kitty. Kulkarni and Sran also got a couple of wickets apiece. While there wasn’t much turn on the pitch, Chahal and Axar were quite economical.

Chasing a paltry 169, Nair didn’t have a great debut as he got out early. From there on, both KL Rahul and Rayudu put up a 162 run unbeaten partnership for the 2nd wicket. While Rahul scored a brilliant hundred on his ODI debut and became the first Indian batsman to do so, Rayudu too scored a sensational half-century as India cruised to victory.

In the end, India won comfortably by a thumping 9 wicket margin. Chatara was the lone wicket taker for Zimbabwe as the rest of the bowlers failed to exert any kind of pressure against a not so comprehensive total.

Also read – Top 10 Highest individual scores on ODI debut

Twitter kept everyone entertained as the new season began for Indian cricket. While many were excited to watch Dhoni foster confidence into the young side, many found solace in watching deserving youngsters make their debut in the blue jersey. Here are some of the Twitter reactions that took place during the course of the game.

https://twitter.com/holdingwilley/status/741631512425037825

https://twitter.com/holdingwilley/status/741570254128578560

https://twitter.com/sagarcasm/status/741521196546564098