1st T20I: India set 179-run target for Zimbabwe

NEW DELHI: Good knocks by Robin Uthappa, Murali Vijay and captain Ajinkya Rahane enabled India to set 179-run target for Zimbabwe in the first Twenty20 International at Harare Sports Club in Harare on Friday.
Scorecard
Indian batsmen justified Rahane's decision to bat first but had Vijay, Rahane and Manish Pandey converted their mediocre starts into big ones, the visitors would have posted a huge total on the board.Uthappa held one end up and his effort saw India ending their innings at 178/5.
The Zimbabwean bowlers were wayward as the home team conceded 25 extras.
Off-spinner Prosper Utseya started the proceedings for Zimbabwe but it didn't take long for the Indian opening duo of skipper Rahane and Vijay to get into their groove.
Vijay hit the first six for India when he pulled Taurai Muzarabani over the square leg fence in the fifth over, in which 17 runs were added to the Indian total.
Vijay brought up the Indian 50 with a cracking cover drive in the next over by Neville Madziva.
India lost their first wicket when Vijay was run out by a direct hit by Sikandar Raza from mid-wicket. Vijay flicked a Utseya delivery in front of mid-wicket and set-off for a quick single, but Raza was quick onto the ball and his direct hit found Vijay short of the crease at the bowler's end. Vijay hit a six and five fours in his 34-run knock that came off 19 balls, to leave India at 64/1 in 7 overs.
India lost their second wicket in the tenth over when Graeme Cremer had Rahane caught by Hamilton Masakadza at point. Rahane was looking to flick a delivery over mid-wicket but the leg-break spun away and flew off the leading edge as Masakadza completed a simple catch. Rahane hit two fours in his 32-ball 33.
Pandey took over from where he had left in the third ODI making his intentions pretty clear by hitting a Cremer delivery out of the stadium in the 12th over and in the next over brought up India's 100.
But Pandey (19) perished playing one shot too many falling to a slower off-cutter from Chris Mpofu mistiming it to long-off where Raza took an easy catch.
Uthappa brought up the Indian 150 in the 18th over but Kedar Jadhav (9) fell on the very next ball scooping a Mpofu delivery towards point where Masakadza moved to his right from backward and took the catch.
Mpofu took his third wicket in the last over of the Indian innings when he had Stuart Binny (11) caught by Cremer at deep mid-wicket.
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