IND vs ZIM 2022: 3 observations from India's impressive 3-0 series win

India made easy work of Zimbabwe in the three-match ODI series, with the final game being a glaring exception. However, a 3-0 series win can rightly be called impressive, with all departments doing their job to near perfection.

The Harare Sports Club, which hosted all three matches, proved to be a happy hunting ground for India and also made sure they kickstarted their preparations for the 2023 World Cup on the right note.

With this, the focus now shifts to the Asia Cup 2022, which is all set to start off on Saturday (August 27). Ahead of the marquee tournament where the Men in Blue look to defend their title, we take a look at three observations from the Zimbabwe series so far:

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#1 Shubman Gill makes his case as India's future prospect

Shubman Gill's scores in the last five matches read 43, 98*, 82*, 33, and 130. That elusive hundred finally came to shore in Zimbabwe. On the topic of centuries, take nothing away from Sikandar Raza's counter-attacking 113 that nearly took the hosts across the finish line.

In the end, it was still Gill's 130 that served as the icing on the cake after a good run-filled series. With India looking at a solid middle-order batter, the Punjab cricketer has now thrown his hat in the ring and is even gunning for a slot in the T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup.

It shouldn't come as a surprise if he pips the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, and Deepak Hooda to find a berth in the middle-order in the near future.

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#2 KL Rahul is yet to hit his straps

KL Rahul's return after his injury layoff didn't exactly pan out the way he wanted it to. While he missed out on batting in the first ODI, his scores of 1 and 30 in the subsequent games showed he is yet to hit the ground up and running.

Rahul's form is crucial for India heading into the Asia Cup. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli blowing hot and cold, the think tank wouldn't mind having the Rahul they saw in IPL 2022. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper amassed 616 runs in 15 matches at an average of 51.33, including two centuries.

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#3 The bowling department was consistent

Almost every bowler who sent down more than three overs in all of the games picked up a wicket. This showed that the side wasn't necessarily considering themselves a second-string side, but were eager to make the A-team.

The likes of Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Deepak Chahar (playing his first series after missing out on ample cricketing action that included the IPL) made full use of their opportunities.

The bowlers were more than just wicket-takers as they focused on the economy rate and working on their strengths. This comes as good news for India ahead of their packed schedule for the next four months.