Second-string or not, an Indian team made up of three debutants beat a close-to-full-strength Zimbabwe comprehensively in Harare. KL Rahul introduced himself to ODIs with 100 not out off 115 balls at the top of the order; an ideal scenario for a team chasing only 169 and looking to expand their talent pool.

It was the first time in history that an Indian batsman had struck a century on debut and he reached the landmark with a towering six over long-on when there were only two runs to get in the 43rd over. But until the lure of three figures, Rahul's primary objective had been to occupy the crease for as long as possible and very few of the Zimbabwe bowlers seemed able to persuade him otherwise.

As can be expected in seamer-friendly conditions, he had to get through a few anxious moments at the start of the innings. Most of them, though, were centered around whether or not a quick single was available after opening the face of his bat towards point. The key there was that he was looking for runs and that mentality often allows a batsman to settle quicker at the crease. The feet begin to move both ways. Gaps can be exploited better. And boundary balls can be capitalised on more often than not.

Rahul finished with seven fours and a six and his strike-rate of 86.95 was comfortably the best for any batsman who had played more than one ball on the day. A resounding endorsement for India's future and vindication for the selectors who chose a very new-look squad for the tour.

Inexperience being a weakness is among the few opinions that unite captains, cricket experts and the general public. But it isn't like a player on debut is a readymade liability. That depends on the amount of pressure the opposition puts on him. Strangling his runs, or upsetting his bowling rhythm, and generally giving him a little more to think about than the basics. Take India's bowling attack - Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah and Barinder Sran had 12 ODIs under their belt. They were outstanding on Saturday, but when Zimbabwe had to wait until No. 6 to find their top-scorer and their strongest partnership amounted contributed only 38 runs, it is arguable that they also had it easy.

When the required rate to win a 50-over match is about three an over, it looked like India's batsmen weren't under pressure either. Tendai Chatara and Taurai Muzarabani were rather short with the new ball. A measure of how unthreatening that made them was provided by the part-time medium pacer Chamu Chibhabha, who pitched it up and made it move it both ways to finish with 8-1-14-0.

The definition of inexperience has to be adjusted in the era of franchise cricket. All 16 members of the Indian squad have played the IPL. An overwhelming majority were involved in the 2016 edition, which captain MS Dhoni pointed to as one of the mitigating factors. He was leading a side that was match-ready. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, were reliant on a two-week camp prior to the start of the series to get ready for this series. Their last domestic match of the year was in March.