An Indian Under-25 team was badly beaten in Zimbabwe in 1984 (15 June 2001)

The first visit by an Indian team to Zimbabwe occurred, not in October 1992, but in March 1984 when an Indian Under-25 side led by Ravi Shastri toured the country. It was a star-studded team, including five Test cricketers (the other four being K Srikkanth, L Sivaramakrishnan, NS Sidhu and Maninder Singh) and six future Test cricketers. The hosts sported virtually the same team that created such a splash in the 1983 World Cup just nine months earlier and the Indians were no match for them in the one-dayers, being swamped 5-0. They were all low scoring affairs with Zimbabwe chasing successfully in the first four encounters and winning the fifth contest by 19 runs after posting 210 - the highest total of the series.

The two three day clashes were however split 1-1. Maninder Singh was simply unplayable, taking 19 wickets in the two games while Shastri struck the only century from either side. The series gave an early glimpse of the skills of two precocious batsmen, Mohd. Azharuddin and Graeme Hick but neither was in the best of touch. If it were any consolation for the Indians, the Young West Indies team (featuring Courtney Walsh and Phil Simmons among others) which preceded them to Zimbabwe was treated with equal disdain. Perhaps if Zimbabwe had been given Test status in the middle 80s when they had the nucleus of a powerful side, they would have given the established teams a run for their money.

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