NEW DELHI: India’s dominance began early as batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi went on the offensive at the top. He raced to a blistering 52 off just 30 balls, laced with four boundaries and as many sixes, helping India race to 100 inside 62 balls.

There was a brief hiccup in the 11th over when skipper Ayush Mhatre fell for 21 and Suryavanshi departed soon after, leaving India at 101 for 3. The setback, however, hardly slowed the charge as Malhotra and wicketkeeper-batter Kundu rebuilt with patience and authority.

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Middle-order partnership breaks Zimbabwe

Malhotra brought up his hundred in 104 balls and continued to anchor the innings as runs flowed freely. Zimbabwe’s decision to persist with pacer Nigel Mazai backfired badly, with the bowler conceding 86 runs from eight overs.

Despite using eight different bowlers, Zimbabwe failed to stem the flow. Left-handers Malhotra and Kundu rotated strike with ease and stitched together a crucial 113-run stand for the fifth wicket, lifting India from 130 for 4 to 243 for 5 by the 36th over.

Kundu’s consistency stood out once again. The left-hander registered his second fifty in three innings, having earlier struck 80 against Bangladesh and remaining unbeaten on 42 versus the USA. He wasn’t required to bat against New Zealand after the chase was completed early.

Bowlers seal a crushing win

Malhotra’s return to form will come as a big boost for India, especially with the middle order under scrutiny earlier in the tournament. He also added 52 runs for the seventh wicket with RS Ambrish and later combined with Khilan Patel for another handy 47-run stand to push India past the 350 mark.

India’s bowlers then took complete control. Pace duo Ambrish and Henil Patel struck early to leave Zimbabwe reeling at 24 for 3 inside nine overs. Zimbabwe were eventually bowled out for 148 in 37.4 overs.

Skipper Ayush Mhatre chipped in with three wickets using his part-time off-spin, while Udhav Mohan also grabbed three scalps. Kian Blignaut and Leeroy Chiwaula showed resistance with knocks of 37 and 62 respectively, but the asking rate quickly slipped out of reach.

India now sit on top of Group 2 in the Super Six with six points, having carried forward wins against New Zealand and Bangladesh.

(With PTI Inputs)