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Just a few weeks ago, here at the same venue, Zimbabwe created history after registering their first ever T20I series win over Bangladesh. The momentum was carried forward into the ODI series as the hosts registered their first ODI series win against Bangladesh in 2013.
Sikandar Raza was a part of the Zimbabwe squad that played against Bangladesh back in 2013. The in-form batter proved to be the major difference between the two sides as he was awarded the player of the series for the T20Is as well as the ODIs which were played at the Harare Sports Club.
On the other side, the Indian team had secured victories in the ODI series and the T20I series that were played in the West Indies and the US. While Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and the other senior players were given rest to keep them fresh for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE, the series against Zimbabwe would give players like KL Rahul, Dhawan, Gill and others enough game time to keep themselves in good touch for the upcoming international fixtures.
In the opening ODI match at the Harare Sports Club, India proved to be too strong a side for Zimbabwe than their previous opponents. India thrashed Zimbabwe to a stunning 10-wicket win after bowling them out for 189 in the first innings.
Though KL Rahul would have anticipated to get some game time after having been out of international cricket since the IPL due to his groin injury and the rehab process, Shikhar Dhawan and Shubhman Gill registered their third 100 plus opening stand in the last 4 innings to ensure a comfortable victory for the touring side.
“I am enjoying batting with the youngster [Gill] and I feel like a youngster too. I enjoyed the consistency from West Indies. I knew that once I was set, I would go after the bowlers. I wanted to rotate the strike as well and then was to accelerate. My rhythm with Gill has settled nicely. The way he bats and times the ball is lovely to watch,” said Shikhar Dhawan in the post-match presentation.
Dhawan scored 81 runs off 133 balls, just behind Gill who took just 72 deliveries to score 82 runs. Innocent Kaia, who was in good touch in the previous series along with Raza couldn’t help their side achieve a defending total as they departed for 4 and 12 respectively.
Regis Chakabva, the captain of the side, scored a crucial 35 off 51 deliveries in the middle order before Axar Patel rattled his stumps. At 110-8, it seemed that Zimbabwe wouldn’t even manage to cross the 150-run mark. But the Indian bowling attack, which has faced some problem with getting the tail out on quite a few occasions in the recent years, faced the challenge yet again.
Brad Evans (33 off 29) and Richard Ngarava (34 off 42) put on a record 70-run stand for the 9 th wicket that gave the hosts something to put on the board, in an otherwise embarrassing display of batting. Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel and Prasidh Krishna managed to pick 3 wickets each while Siraj had 1.
It proved to be a good outing for Chahar as he returned to the Indian side after a hamstring injury that kept him away from International Cricket as well as the IPL since February 2022. Ishan Kishan and Deepak Hooda – who were a part of the playing 11 were seen batting in the nets after the match ended to keep themselves in touch for the next 2 games.
Rahul Tripathi, Shardul Thakur, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shahbaz Ahmed joined the nets post the first ODI. The hosts will look to display a better performance in the upcoming ODIs and hope to make a comeback into the series. India, on the other hand, will try to seal the series and then, allow the players on the bench to get some game time in the final ODI.
The second ODI starts on 20th August at 9:15 am local time.
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