Attempting to drive a flighted Sarandeep Singh delivery over mid-on's head, Gripper did not quite get the elevation required and the ball found Tinu Yohannan's safe hands. Gripper's 52 took 128 balls and featured seven boundaries.

Gavin Rennie seemed in particularly good touch, and his occupation of the crucial number three position will mean that Zimbabwe will look to him greatly for pivotal knocks. He reached his fifty off 107 balls, striking four boundaries, but his innings was much more notable for the manner in which he rotated the strike sensibly.

His dismissal, then, came against the run of play. Brought on for a fresh spell, leg-spinner Amit Mishra had Rennie (52, 136b, 4x4) top-edging a sweep to Pravanjan Mullick at fine leg.

Four runs later, Mishra struck again. Tatenda Taibu, trying to force the leggie off the back foot through covers, played the shot in the air, and Abhijit Kale took a fine catch diving to his right. Taibu made 2 off 18 balls.

With Alistair Campbell still sitting in the pavilion, Heath Streak made his way out to the middle. But he lasted just three balls at the crease. Launching into a predetermined slog-sweep, he hit Mishra straight into the hands of Gagan Khoda at square leg.

At that dismissal, three wickets had fallen for four runs, and Mishra had sent back all three batsmen. With the tea break looming, Andy Flower, looking in fine touch and stroking the ball well, and Travis Friend played steadily.

The visitors went in to tea on 180/5, with Flower unbeaten on 36 off 61 balls and Friend on 2 off 5 balls.

Zimbabwe, as if unsure what to make of this decision, started off very slowly. Captain Stuart Carlisle promoted himself to the top of the order, but he proved shaky in the opening slot, poking tentatively at many deliveries from left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra and confident only when the ball was short enough to be seen early and played comfortably.

Of the opening pair for the Board President's XI, Nehra was far and away the more impressive, returning first-spell figures of 6-2-5-0 and maintaining impeccable line outside the off-stump. Tinu Yohannan too was tight, barring one over that the batsmen took for 15 runs.

The introduction of spin, in the form of Sarandeep Singh, had the desired effect for the home side, with Carlisle being caught behind off an inside edge for 20 off 54 deliveries. The score, at the time, was 47/1 off 19.1 overs.

Giving the tourists a taste of what probably awaits them throughout their tour, Dravid was quick to bring on spin from both ends, Haryana leg-spinner Amit Mishra bowling in tandem with Sarandeep. Both spinners proceeded to bowl with misery, conceding only the rare boundary, flighting the ball and turning it enough to cause problems for Gripper and Gavin Rennie.

The batsmen stuck in there, however, patiently biding their time and taking Zimbabwe to 100/1, with Rennie on 24 and Gripper on 46.