Leading India for the first time to a T20I victory, Shreyas Iyer watched his young side dominate both with the ball and the bat. The comprehensive win also marked an important turnaround after India had suffered series defeats under his captaincy against Ireland and England earlier in the year.

Zimbabwe, after being asked to bat first, struggled to build momentum and finished on 125/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Wesley Madhevere top-scored with 39, while Tadiwanashe Marumani remained unbeaten on 27 to push the hosts beyond the 120-run mark.

India's pace attack ensured Zimbabwe never settled. Mayank Yadav struck with the very first delivery of the innings by dismissing Brian Bennett and later removed Dion Myers to finish with two wickets. Prince Yadav also claimed two wickets, while Shivam Dube and Ravi Bishnoi picked up one each. Madhevere was run out after a mix-up in the closing stages.

The chase belonged to Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Opening alongside Abhishek Sharma, the teenage batter launched an aggressive assault from the outset, hitting boundaries all around the ground. He raced to his maiden T20I fifty in just 19 deliveries before being dismissed immediately after reaching the milestone.

His innings of 50 from 19 balls included four fours and four sixes and broke Gibraltar batter Louis Bruce's record to become the youngest player ever to score a T20 International half-century. At just 15 years and 118 days, Suryavanshi also surpassed several long-standing age records in international cricket.

After reaching his fifty, Suryavanshi celebrated by making the letter "A" with both hands, dedicating the milestone to his mother, Aarti Suryavanshi.

Earlier, he had also become the youngest batter from a Full Member nation to register an international fifty, eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar's record. Tendulkar had scored his first international half-century at the age of 16 years and 213 days during India's 1989 tour of Pakistan.

Following Suryavanshi's dismissal, Ishan Kishan continued the chase confidently with 35 runs before falling to Blessing Muzarabani. Tilak Varma and captain Shreyas Iyer ensured there were no further setbacks as India comfortably crossed the finish line with more than six overs to spare.

The victory also produced several notable records. India completed the 126-run chase with 40 deliveries remaining, making it one of the fastest successful run chases for a target above 120 in T20 Internationals. Earlier this year, India had chased 154 against New Zealand even faster.

Young pacer Ashok Sharma made his T20 International debut, while Mayank Yadav became only the fourth Indian bowler to take a wicket with the very first ball of a T20I innings on more than one occasion.

For Zimbabwe, the defeat exposed batting concerns despite a spirited effort from Madhevere and Marumani. Captain Sikandar Raza managed only four runs, while the middle order failed to capitalise after surviving the early overs.

India will now look to seal the series in the second T20I, while Zimbabwe must improve significantly with the bat if they hope to level the contest.