Harare, July 24 (IANS) Skipper Virat Kohli was a happy man as India kicked off the five-match series with a convincing six-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the first ODI at the Harare Sports Club here Wednesday.

"Happy with the win. Always good to kick off a tour with a win and personally I was happy with the way I played. The ball was moving around a bit early on and it was all about percentage cricket, rotating the strike and then playing your shots at the end," said Kohli, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his sublime 115.

Kohli and debutant Ambati Rayudu, who remained unbeaten on 63, set the foundation of the win with their 159-run stand for the third-wicket as India achieved the target of 229 with 31 balls to spare. 

Kohli was all praise for Rayudu, who made his international debut 10 years after his first A tour.

"Congratulations to Ambati Rayudu, he's got an India call-up after a long time and he's grabbed his opportunity very well," said Kohli.

Kohli also had a word of praise for his bowlers.

"Our bowlers did a very good job up front. The new ball was doing quite a bit in the morning and with two new balls you can't count any team out," he said.

Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor said his side could have been more proactive.

"First hour was vital, We didn't lose any wickets but we could have been a bit more proactive. Against a quality side like India we needed 270 on the board. Sikandar Raza played very well, showing good composure despite having hardly played any games. Prosper Utseya was good with the ball and hopefully next time we can come out and express ourselves a little better," he said.