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K L Rahul debut ton helps India beat Zimbabwe by 9 wkt
Harare: An all-round effort by the new-look side ensured that India defeated Zimbabwe by nine wickets in the first of the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the Harare Sports Club here on Saturday.
Chasing a paltry 169, debutant Lokesh Rahul (100 not out) and Ambati Rayudu (62 not out) put on an unbeaten 162-run stand for the second wicket to take India home without much fuss.
Rahul, who got to his century with a blistering six off medium pacer Hamilton Masakadza, has become the first Indian and overall 11th to reach the feat on debut.
With this win, India take a 1-0 lead in the series and will face the hosts in the second game on Monday.
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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.