Zimbabwe vs India: 1st ODI - Stats of the match

India beat Zimbabwe in a tense clash by four runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. Captain Elton Chigumbura struck a magnificent century in the run chase, but saw his side choke in the end. Earlier in the day, the new-look Indian side led by Ajinkya Rahane scored 255 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 50 overs. Ambati Rayudu who came in at number 3 remained unbeaten on 124. We came across some important stats during the course of the match and here are they:

#1 Highest sixth-wicket partnership

Rayudu and Binny put on a record stand

After losing the first five wickets for just 87 runs, Team India were in a spot of bother. But that’s where the revival began as Stuart Binny strode out to the middle and put on a huge 160-run partnership with Ambati Rayudu.

The duo created history by breaking the record which stood for almost 10 years. Incidentally, the previous highest was also scored against Zimbabwe at the same ground where MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh put up 158 runs. Yusuf Pathan and Saurabh Tiwary’s unbeaten 133 run partnership is the next highest at number 3.

#2 Personal best for Rayudu-Binny

Binny recorded his personal best score in ODI Cricket

Rayudu and Binny had more reasons to smile today as they not only broke the partnership record, but also registered their individual highest scores in ODI Cricket. Rayudu’s previous best was the unbeaten 121 he made against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad last year in November.

Binny ended up with 77 which was not only his highest ODI score, but also his first fifty in the format. His previous best in 50 overs cricket was the 44 he made against England at Brisbane earlier this year during the tri-series ahead of the World Cup.

#3 No CSK player in the XI since May 2008

Mohit Sharma was not picked in the playing XI

In recent years, the Indian side, especially in limited overs cricket has been dominated by the presence of players from the Chennai Super Kings. But for the first time since May 2008, we haven’t had even a single player in the playing XI from the IPL franchise.

The likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin have been rested for this series and Ravindra Jadeja has faced the axe for his recent poor performances. Mohit Sharma was the only player in the squad this time around but Dhawal Kulkarni was preferred for this match.

#4 Back-to-back hundreds

Chigumbura scored a 100 against Pakistan in May

Zimbabwean skipper Elton Chigumbura had not scored a 100 in his ODI career during his first 173 matches. And now, he has scored two in two. He first made 117 in a losing cause against Pakistan in May, and now again in a losing cause, he made an unbeaten 104 as his side choked at the death.

He has now become only the second Zimbabwean batsman after former Captain Brendan Taylor to score back-to-back hundreds in ODI Cricket. Taylor achieved the feat during the recently concluded World Cup.

#5 Second-lowest victory margin

It was a tense finish in the end

This nail-biting victory with a 4-run margin is also India’s second lowest against Zimbabwe in terms of runs. The lowest ever still remains the 3-run win in 2004 at Adelaide during the tri-series featuring Australia.

The highest in terms of runs was the 161-run win in August 2005 (again at Harare) where Irfan Pathan’s 5-wicket haul helped India skittle out Zimbabwe for just 65 runs.