Deepak Chahar teased controversy and fresh debates on the spirit of the game, Mankading Zimbabwean opener Innocent Kaia. But the pacer chose not to appeal, giving the batter a reprieve. Striding in to deliver his first ball, the canny Chahar found Kaia outside the crease. Stopping mid-stride, he flicked the bails before warning Kaia against wandering beyond the white line. It did not take long for the 30-year-old to dismiss the Zimbabwean. A sharp inswinger darted into his pads, trapping him plumb in front. The Umpire turned down the appeal, but a successful review overturned the decision.

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Mankading- named after legendary Indian opener Vinoo Mankad- is the informal term for running out the non-striking batter when out of the crease. It was first employed in international cricket by Mankad against Australian Bill Brown in the Sydney test of India’s 1947-48 tour of Australia. Sparking outrage ever since, cricket’s rule makers, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), recently removed it from the section under ‘Unfair Play’ to Law 38- concerning runouts- giving it greater legitimacy. One assumes Ravichandran Ashwin is happy with this change.

But Chahar’s antic was well overshadowed by Shubman Gill’s maiden century. Coming in to bat at number three, the 22-year-old creamed 130 runs in 97 balls, studded with 15 fours and 1 six. He raced to 100 in 82 deliveries, making merry at the home side’s expense. Accompanied by fellow upstart Ishan Kishan- who scored a measured 50 off 61 deliveries- Gill guided India to a strong 289/8 in their 50 overs.

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25-year-old local lad, Brad Evans, snared five wickets in his ten overs, giving home fans some good cheer, including his father, who sat in the stands. Zimbabwe lost Kaia early doors, but Sean Williams near run-a-ball 45 (in a 75-run partnership with Takudzwanashe Kaitano) propelled their hopes. But a flurry of wickets leaves them in a precarious position. Much rests on the star man Sikandar Raza’s shoulders if Zimbabwe is to avoid a clean sweep.