Indian cricket fans have not had to wait for much long as the ‘Men in Blue’ will be heading to the African continent to face off against the Zimbabweans. The tour will include 3 ODIs and 3 T20 games spanning over two weeks. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have decided to give the young guns a chance to prove their mettle against a gritty Zimbabwe team and what better way to do that than let the ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni to lead the way and nurture the youth.
Trending
After an exciting season of the Indian Premier League, the players have had a few days to relax and get in shape for this quick tour to Zimbabwe. The Indian Premier League has had its fair share of controversies, but the most important factor is that the tournament has helped the youngsters to showcase their true potentials and this has greatly improved the growth of the Indian Cricket Team towards building the next generation of players who can fill up the shoes of the current bunch.
The Squads
India (ODIs & T20s): MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Lokesh Rahul, Faiz Fazal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Ambati Rayudu, Rishi Dhawan, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Zimbabwe (ODIs): Graeme Cremer (Captain), Richmond Mutumbami (Wicketkeeper), Taurai Muzarabani, Chamu Chibhabha, Peter Moor, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Tawanda Mupariwa, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Neville Madziva, Donald Tiripano, Timycen Maruma, Wellington Masakadza, Tendai Chisoro, Hamilton Masakadza, Tendai Chatara, Craig Ervine
Zimbabwe (T20s): Graeme Cremer (Captain), Richmond Mutumbami (Wicketkeeper), Taurai Muzarabani, Brian Chari, Peter Moor, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Luke Jongwe, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Neville Madziva, Donald Tiripano, Timycen Maruma, Wellington Masakadza, Tendai Chisoro, Hamilton Masakadza, Tendai Chatara, Malcolm Waller.
Notable Omissions:
The first thing that anyone will notice is the absence of Virat Kohli. After highly successful campaigns in the Indian Premier League and the ICC World T20, Kohli has earned himself a well-deserved break from cricket.
Opener Rohit Sharma has also decided to take a vacation. While this could have been a good opportunity for Yuvraj Singh to make a comeback to the Indian line-up but unfortunately, the left-hander misses out.
The Pandya brothers have been overlooked as well. Krunal Pandya, in particular, will be disappointed on not making his debut as he was one of the most promising talents in IPL 2016, scoring 237 runs in 12 innings and also picking up 6 wickets as well.
Head to Head:
The Indians have always dominated the Zimbabweans. The two teams have faced each other on 60 occasions with the Indians winning 48 of them. The Zimbabweans have managed to register 10 victories, giving them some hope to beat this inexperienced unit.
Recent Encounters:
The last bilateral series involving these 2 teams was back in July last year. The Indians expectedly won the series 3-0 but the Zimbabweans sure gave them a run for their money as the Indians had a narrow escape in the first game, winning by 4 runs.
The pitch will take some getting used to as the Harare wicket has been a good hunting ground for the spinners and the slower bowlers. The batsmen will have to be cautious and value their wickets before playing extravagant shots.
Key Players:
India:
The most experienced player in this unit is the Captain himself. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has always been an important figure in the Indian team with his quirky field setups, crucial bowling changes, explosive batting power.
Lokesh Rahul had been knocking on the selector’s door for quite sometime now and has finally made his break into the squad.Scoring 397 runs in the recent IPL which included 4 fifties and at a healthy strike-rate of 146, he has proved that he is more than capable of performing in the limited over format as well.
Royal Challengers Bangalore leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal will certainly be looking forward to making his presence felt in the slow and turning wickets of Zimbabwe. Chahal’s recent track in the IPL involved him picking 21 wickets and was the second leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
Zimbabwe:
The electrifying Elton Chigumbura will be a player to watch out for as he is capable of shifting the balance to his side almost single-handedly. Chigumbura has the ability to bowl as well in the middle overs and slow the flow of runs for the opposition team. Sean Williams will be bringing some experience to his side with 24 fifties and a hundred to his name. Batting in the middle-order, he is just the kind of player to bring stability to the batting department.
Complete Match Schedule:
One-Day Internationals:
June 11 – First ODI (07:00 GMT | 12:30 IST), LIVE SCORES | HIGHLIGHTS
June 13: Second ODI (07:00 GMT | 12:30 IST)
June 15: Third ODI (07:00 GMT | 12:30 IST)
T20 Internationals:
June 18: First T20I (11:00 GMT | 16:30 IST)
June 20: Second T20I (11:00 GMT | 16:30 IST)
June 22: Third T20I (11:00 GMT | 16:30 IST)
Venue: All games will be played at the Harare Sports Club.
India vs Zimbabwe 2016 tour broadcasting rights
Viewers in India can watch the tournament live on Ten 3 and Ten 1 HD, with the online live streaming option on TenSports Live. Viewers in the US can watch the 1st ODI live on Willow TV, while the match can be live streamed on Willow TV Online.
Looking for fast live cricket scores? Download CricRocket and get fast score updates, top-notch commentary in-depth match stats & much more! 🚀☄️
