Published: Aug 02, 2013, 12:17 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 02, 2013, 12:17 PM (IST)
India, after leading 4-0, will be aiming for a clean sweep in the fifth match of the series © AFP
By Aayush Puthran
Aug 2, 2013
India move into the final encounter of the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo on Saturday with little to lose.
After registering yet another comfortable victory against the hosts in the fourth ODI, India are placed pretty to try out Ajinkya Rahane and Parvez Rasool, both of whom have warmed the bench throughout the ongoing series, in the final match.
Apart from the young Mohit Sharma’s fantastic debut, what would have impressed the Indian captain and selectors is the form of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. While Rohit has wasted far too many opportunities, Raina has looked scratchy in the chances that he got. Their form is important for India’s long term future in limited-over cricket as they have been a regular feature in the team and are seen as a part of the core for the ICC World Cup 2015.
The good thing for India in the series has been the fact that almost all players have contributed at some point or the other: either with a good show with the bat or a fine spell with the ball. Thus is it imperative that Rahane and Rasool get to play in the final encounter. Pujara too must be given an opportunity in the middle-order. Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina can be rested.
On the other hand, Mohit’s good show not only means that India have got more bowling options at their disposal, but also that it takes away R Vinay Kumar’s chance to prove his worth to the selectors. Kumar has by far been India’s worst performer in the series so far.
As far as Zimbabwe are concerned, their batting has been utterly disappointing in the series. Skipper Brendon Taylor‘s poor form hasn’t done the team any good either. Their failure to deal with the new ball has been their undoing and they would be disheartened to see the manner in which they have lost the games after preparing for almost two months for the series. Their hopes of beating India at least once in the series is also soon fading as the hosts are only getting more comfortable with the conditions.
If you come to think of it, this may have been a series against a low-ranked team for India. However, they would certainly be taking home a lot of positives.
Teams:
Zimbabwe (Probable): Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Sikandar Raza, Brendan Taylor (c & wk), Sean Williams, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbara, Brian Vitori, Prosper Utseya, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chetara.
India (Probable): Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ambati Rayudu, Parvez Rasool, Amit Mishra, Shami Ahmed, Mohit Sharma, Jaydev Unadkat.
Time: 12.30 IST | 07.00 GMT
(Aayush Puthran is a reporter with CricketCountry. Mercurially jovial, pseudo pompous, perpetually curious and occasionally confused, he is always up for a light-hearted chat over a few cups of filter kaapi!)
