Irfan Pathan grabbed a career-best seven wicket haul as he ripped through the fragile Zimbabwe batting order to put India in the driver's seat in the second and final Test today.
The left-arm speedster produced another devastating spell of swing bowling to skittle out the hosts for a paltry 161 in just 44.2 overs, returning with dream figures of seven for 59 to steal the limelight on the opening day at the Harare Sports Club.
The young Gautam Gambhir then took centrestage with a rollicking unbeaten 95 as the visitors reached 195 for one at close, taking a lead of 34 runs with nine wickets in hand.
The seasoned Rahul Dravid was giving Gambhir company on 49 in what turned out to be a highly satisfying day for the Indians after putting the Zimbabweans in to bat on a track which provided some assistance to the seam bowlers.
The hosts could not really negotiate the left-arm swing bowling of Pathan who had also tormented the Zimbabweans in the first Test in Bulawayo where he took nine wickets.
Barring Charles Coventry who top scored with a 32-ball 37, none of the home team batsmen could survive for long though they did quite well to cross the 150-mark after tottering at 31 for four at one stage.
The Zimbabwe innings lasted barely three hours as Pathan kept picking up wickets at regular intervals to capture his fifth five-wicket haul in his brief Test career.