IND vs ZIM 2022: "I'd definitely like to pick his brain for a bit" - Ryan Burl names Rishabh Pant as his inspiration ahead of ODI series

Zimbabwe all-rounder Ryan Burl has named Rishabh Pant as the player who inspires him. The Indian wicket-keeper batter has revolutionized batting with his unorthodox approach and has gained quite a few admirers in the process.

India are set to face Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series beginning on August 18 (Thursday). The Men in Blue will be led by KL Rahul following a late change by the selection committee. Shikhar Dhawan was initially slated to lead the side, but Rahul recovered from an injury in time to make the squad.

Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan will serve as the primary wicket-keeping options as Rishabh Pant has been rested, keeping the upcoming Asia Cup in mind. Hoping to outdo Pant in terms of big-hitting, Ryan Burl told the Times of India:

"To be honest, I am going to mention Rishabh Pant. I kind of see myself in him. Probably quite short, stocky, left-handers that like to hit the ball. I'd definitely like to pick his brain for a bit, hopefully, and obviously try and outdo him in the boundary count. We'll see how it goes."

Rishabh Pant is yet to face Zimbabwe in his career so far, while Ryan Burl is set to face the Men in Blue for the first time in the upcoming three-match ODI series.

"I don't see any reason why we can't win" - Ryan Burl

The Regis Chakabva-led side are in good form at the moment. They secured their berth in the preliminary stages of the 2022 T20 World Cup and also defeated Bangladesh in the recently concluded ODI and T20I series at home.

Opining that the new-look Zimbabwe squad has some legends in the making, Burl said:

"I don't see any reason why we can't win. We do have home advantage. We've been playing quite well at home recently. People obviously talk about the likes of Streaky (Heath Streak) and the Flowers (Andy Flower and Grant Flower) and all those guys back then.

"Now we've got our own legends. We've got Raza (Sikandar Raza), we've got Ervine (Craig Ervine) , we've got Williams (Sean Williams). We've got all these other legends."

Zimbabwe will take on India in the first ODI of the series on August 18 (Thursday) at the Harare Sports Club.

Will the Chevrons be able to match the in-form Indian team? Let us know what you think.