Harare 17 August : When the last time India visited an official tour of Zimbabwe was in 2016 .KL Rahul who was in the Test team began to transition into the white-ball side of things following a breakout IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).The first ODI of the tour, making his first appearance in the 50-over format with MS Dhoni, Rahul became the first India batter and 11th overall to score 100 runs on his debut.He completed the ODI tour of the tour as the most prolific player and won the his Player of the Series award in addition.
Six years after, Rahul will be returning to Harare as the captain of the team, in the same place where his white-ball story as the mainstay of the team for India began.However, he is returning after a long period being on the sidelines.A knee injury was followed by a sports hernia surgery, and finding positive for Covid-19.
Thursday’s game that will be the very first of the three ODI games between India and Zimbabwe will get the bulk of attention on how Rahul as well as Deepak Chahar will perform particularly with Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled in October-November, and then the Asia Cup, starting from August 27.
Similar to Rahul who last played in a cricket match that was competitive in May, Chahar was last seen in action in February in the T20Is against West Indies.A quadriceps strain he suffered during the series put him off the field as well.
with back injuries he picked up, he had to spend longer away from the game.
The ODIs in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe provide time and a chance to both Rahul as well as Chahar to find their rhythm in international cricket, particularly with back-to-back matches coming up.Rahul has been successful as a number five batsman in ODIs and it will be interesting to observe whether he will bat in the same position or is placed at the one of the sides of the order as he plays in tests and T20Is.
Others such as Shikhar Dhawan Shubman Gill Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ishan Kishan and Avesh Khan would be eager to build on their success in recent fixtures.
On the other the other hand, Zimbabwe are full of confidence and are heading into the series against India on the of a string of series wins against Bangladesh in T20Is and ODIs.This series with India will give them the chance to determine where they stand against the best teams in ODI cricket as well as to earn some important points in 2023’s ODI World Cup Super League.
In the field they have been ably guided by their all-rounder Sikander Raza, who scored unbeaten centuries (135 and 117) in successful chases of 291 and 304 in consecutive matches.
He was supported by Innocent Kaia in the first chase and captain Regis Chakabva in the second chase.
However, Zimbabwe require their top order to be able to avoid collapses of the order of 62-3, 27-3 and 18-3 in the games against Bangladesh.When it comes to the ball Luke Jongwe holds the crucial position.
Although Zimbabwe is lacking the services of Craig Ervine (hamstring injury), Blessing Muzarabani (thigh tear), Tendai Chatara (fracture to the collarbone) as well as Wellington Masakadza (shoulder injury) and Sean Williams (unavailable due to personal reasons), Zimbabwe have shown that they have the potential to cause upsets and attempt to secure their fifth ODI win over India in 24 games at home.
Squads
India: KL Rahul (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar and Shahbaz Ahmed.
Zimbabwe: Regis Chakabva (captain), Tanaka Chivanga, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Ryan Burl, Innocent Kaia, Kaitano Takudzwanashe, Clive Madande, Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, John Masara, Tony Munyonga, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba and Donald Tiripano
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