Published: Jun 11, 2016, 09:28 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 11, 2016, 09:28 AM (IST)
An India-Zimbabwe series doesn’t elicit a lot of excitement considering the low-profile nature of the hosts, and the fact that Zimbabwe are not the same team they were a couple of decades ago. This is one of the reasons why India often decide to rest seniors when it comes to playing a series against Zimbabwe. At the same time, the nation has often proved to be a banana peel tour for the Indians. Till as late as 2001, they were losing series in Zimbabwe. Even on their previous tour to the country, when they again went with a weakened side, they ended up losing the last T20. It is imperative that India don’t take Zimbabwe lightly even though MS Dhoni describing the tour as a big challenge; was taking it a bit too far. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Zimbabwe , 1st ODI Match at Harare
Best economical pick – Jasprit Bumrah will suddenly be pitchforked into the role of lead bowler, just a few games after making his international debut. He has been impressive ever since making it to the national squad, but it remains to be seen whether he can carry on with the good work. Join Daily Fantasy League & Win Daily Prizes: CricketCountry.CricBattle.com
Top captains & vice captains – The talented youngster Manish Pandey has performed reasonably well in the limited opportunities that he has been given for Team India. But, he has been unlucky to not to find a permanent place in the team with most of the slots in the middle order booked. With the Zimbabwe tour, Pandey gets another chance to reclaim his stake. KL Rahul who broke into international cricket as a Test opener, and already has a couple of Test tons to his name, after a horror debut. But, he held his own against the likes of AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli playing for RCB in the recent IPL season.
Smart pick – Zimbabwe will be led by Graeme Cremer, who over the years, has established himself as a dependable bowler. The experience veteran will look to play spoilsport.
Cautions Pick – Jaydev Unadkat who selected surprisingly in team India for this tour. He didn’t perform in the IPL still got a chance. He can leak runs with his ordinary bowling so pick him in your team at your own risk.
CricBattle XI – Manish Pandey (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Jasprit Bumrah, Graeme Creamer, Sikandar Raza, Mandeep Singh, MS Dhoni, D Kulkarni, Y Chahal, Sean Wiliams, Chamu Chibhabha
