Published: Jul 09, 2015, 12:07 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 09, 2015, 01:21 PM (IST)
India take on Zimbabwe in the first One-Day International (ODI) at Harare. India are going into the series with a second-string team, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the team for the very first time in his career. MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and others have been rested after a long season of cricket. Zimbabwe on the other hand will go into this match with a full-strength squad and will look to cause an upset. READ: India vs Zimbabwe 2015: Visitors face batting order conundrum
India have a couple of new faces in the side this time. They have included fast bowler Sandeep Sharma and batsman Manish Pandey in their squad. Both of whom are yet to play an international game. Leg-spinner Karn Sharma was also included in the squad, but a fracture in his left hand forced him to pull out at the last moment. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have therefore decided not to send a replacement and as a result, Akshar Patel and Harbhajan Singh will be the two spinners in the squad. Harbhajan last played an ODI for India against West Indies in 2011. READ: India tour of Zimbabwe 2015: Rahane, Harbhajan and other Indian cricketers to watch out for
For Zimbabwe, fast bowler Donald Tripano makes a comeback into the side, having played just four ODIs in his career, last of which came against Australia almost a year back. Malcom Waller too comes back into the squad after missing out on a place for the Pakistan tour. All-rounder Neville Madziva too returns, which adds extra depth to the team. READ: Zimbabwe will fancy their chances against ‘second-string’ India
Elton Chigumbura will lead the Zimbabwe side and he has an exciting set of players at his disposal. This will be the first series at home since Brendan Taylor signed a Kolpak contract with Nottinghamshire. Zimbabwe put up a good show in his absence when they toured Pakistan recently. They might have lost the three-match series 2-0, but did not go down without a fight. A similar performance can see them topple India at home. But they will have to improve their bowling, especially in the death overs, where they leak runs left, right and centre. READ: India select a perfect squad for tour of Zimbabwe
India too are coming off the back of a 2-1 series loss against Bangladesh, their first ever series defeat at the hands of their neighbours. India too are looking to bounce back but will be thoroughly tested against a hungry Zimbabwe side. READ: India tour of Zimbabwe 2015: Will the Ajinkya Rahane gamble work?
India cannot afford to take Zimbabwe lightly and will have to be at their best to defeat them. They must give Zimbabwe due respect while approaching every game in the series. As far as Zimbabwe are concerned, a win in the first ODI will give them a lot of confidence to go on and perhaps win the series and they certainly have the talent and depth in their squad to do so.
Squads:
Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (c), Regis Chakabva (wk), Chamu Chibhabha, Graeme Cremer, Neville Madziva, Hamilton Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams.
India: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Robin Uthappa (wk), Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Ambati Rayudu, Sandeep Sharma, Mohit Sharma,Manoj Tiwary, Murali Vijay
TIME: 9.00 Local |7.00 GMT| 12.30 IST
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
