Harare - Zimbabwe won the toss and put India in to bat in the first one-day international in Harare on Friday.
Stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead a second-string India team, which is without regular one-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Test captain Virat Kohli and a number of other stars who have been rested for the tour.
Batsman Murali Vijay gets a chance to re-establish himself at the top of the Indian order and opened the batting with Rahane. Offspinner Harbhajan Singh was also in the team for the first of three 50-over games at Harare Sports Club, Harbhajan's first ODI since 2011. Robin Uthappa was the wicketkeeper.
Hamilton Masakadza captains Zimbabwe, which is now without experienced batsman Brendan Taylor, who left to play county cricket in England.
India is coming off a 2-1 ODI series loss to Bangladesh.
The teams will play three ODIs and two Twenty20 games in the space of 10 days, all at Harare.
Teams:
India: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa, Kedar Jadhav, Stuart Binny, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni.
Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza (captain), Sikandar Raza, Vusi Sibanda, Chamu Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Sean Williams, Richmond Mutumbami, Graeme Cremer, Donald Tiripano, Brian Vitori, Tinashe Panyangara.