India eye whitewash and game time for crucial players with series secured

It was a surprise slump and quite an unexpected one that Team India found themselves where the struggles felt real and history could have been rewritten for a Zimbabwean side that is a thousand lightyears away from their glory days starring the Flower brothers and Heath Streak. However, Team India rallied themselves and kept their nerves to surge ahead as they bagged the third consecutive ODI series away from home, thanks to a commanding finish by Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson.

Rahul won the toss and opted to bowl first with his bowlers once again wreaking havoc. Mohammed Siraj dealt the opening blow as it marked the beginning of a busy afternoon for Sanju Samson. Shardul Thakur dealt a double whammy to the ailing Zimbabwean top-order that once again collapsed to the searing heat from the Indian quicks.

Despite teetering at 31 for 4, two of Zimbabwe’s finest batters in the current era, Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams stitched an incredible brand of resistance where the latter brought out the heavy artillery with Raza playing the anchor. However, the partnership couldn’t produce the required runs that could have scared the Indian bowlers.

Another partnership brewed between Williams and Ryan Burl with Deepak Hooda producing the much-needed break. However, once Williams departed, it was more of a regulation for the Indian bowlers as they swept the tail without breaking a sweat that saw Shardul Thakur featuring as the highest wicket-taker of the innings with 3 scalps.

India copped an early blow as KL Rahul departed for a single with an absolute screamer from Victor Nyauchi. Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill stitched together another decent partnership with Dhawan delivering the early payload. However, the fall of the Indian vice-captain sparked a collapse that suddenly saw the visitors wobbling at 97 for 4 and still a decent number of runs to be scored.

Despite the initial fears, a steady partnership between Samson and Deepak Hooda, India found themselves reaching home comfortably with five wickets to spare. It was another series win for the Indians while it was another rock-solid display from Deepak Hooda who is making a habit of coming out all guns blazing under the pump.

As the third contest awaits us all, Team India may probably resort to a few changes that can be a good test for the youngsters on the bench. With the series bagged already, it will be interesting to see, how India approaches this contest. With the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the ranks, this can be the perfect opportunity for the duo to showcase their brilliance on the international stage in a longer format of the game.

There is also a slim probability of Shahbaz Ahmed getting his debut but that is highly subjective to the kind of changes that India would be looking forward to.

The kind of surface that the hosts have produced at Harare has seen some razor-sharp movement that even troubled the Indian top-order yesterday. Keeping in mind the drift in the surface, the hosts would be asking a few questions to their seam bowlers to use the available help on the track.

The Zimbabwean contingent would entirely rely on the burly shoulders of the Sikandar Raza and Sean Williams duo while Ryan Burl can be a decent addition to this valued trio. With the series lost, the hosts will be desperate to avert a whitewash and will probably be asking for all hands on deck on the final day of the series.

Match details:

Zimbabwe vs India (3rd ODI, ODI series)

Harare Sports Club, Harare

22nd August 2022

12:45 PM IST

Head-to-head:

Total matches: 65

India: 53

Zimbabwe: 10

Squads:

Zimbabwe:

Regis Chakabva (c), 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, Donald Tiripano

India:

KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Shahbaz Ahmed