Highlights
- KL Rahul initially was not a part of the squad
- Shikhar Dhawan was named as the captain for the Zimbabwe series
- KL Rahul replaced Shikhar Dhawan as the captain after India left for Zimbabwe
IND vs ZIM: The Indian team is currently stationed in Zimbabwe to play a three-match ODI series before the Asia Cup which starts on 27th August 2022. The men in blue will play the first match of their Asia Cup campaign on 28th August 2022 against arch-rivals Pakistan. The Zimbabwe series is a chance for the Indian team to check the form and fitness of the youngsters and also to determine if anybody from the current crop fits the bill of the World T20I squad that will travel to Australia later this year.
Team India who started as favorites in the series and rightly so has now taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match ODI series. Team India was at the top of their game in the first ODI as they registered a thumping victory over Zimbabwe by a margin of 10 wickets. The pacers completely dominated the first match and then Shikhar Dhawan along with Shubman Gill put up a partnership of 192 runs to guide India to victory. Despite the team winning, team India skipper KL Rahul was heavily criticized for his tactics and his loss of his will to open the batting for India.
Come to the second ODI, KL Rahul won the toss and surprised everybody as he chose to field first. Fans and experts from all around the globe were expecting Rahul to opt for batting and get some match practice before he heads into the Asia Cup and opens for team India. Zimbabwe had set a target of 162 runs for India but made sure that the visitors don't chase it down comfortably. The men in blue had a mini-collapse but courtesy of Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, and Sanju Samson, team India chased the score down with 5 wickets left.
Surprisingly, Indian skipper KL Rahul who is making a comeback to international cricket after 2 months looked far from his bestt. He did not bat in the first match and in the second match, he was dismissed for 1 off 5 deliveries. As of now, Rahul's lack of form seems like a major concern for team India as they gear up for two major events, the World Cup and the Asia Cup. There are no questions about Rahul being a class player, but as far as tournaments like Asia Cup and World Cup are concerned, India will want to put their best eleven on the field.
Team India: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Ruturaj Gaikwad
Team Zimbabwe: Regis Chakabva (c), Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Innocent Kaia, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano, Victor Nyauchi, Richard Ngarava, Brad Evans, Clive Madande, John Masara, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tony Munyonga, Tanaka Chivanga
