ZIM vs IND, 1st ODI: KL Rahul elects to field
India and Zimbabwe are set to lock horns in the first ODI on August 18 at the Harare Sports Club. This is India's first tour to Zimbabwe in six years. Zimbabwe have been a hot commodity of late and will look to pull an upset. The news from the center is that Indian skipper KL Rahul has won the toss and elected to field.
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul (captain), Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj. Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Tadiwanashe Marumani, Innocent Kaia, Sean Williams, Wessly Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva (captain and wicket-keeper), Ryan Burl, Luke Jongwe, Bradley Evans, Victor Nyauchi, Richard Ngarava.
As stated, the Harare Sports Club would host the first ODI (12:45 PM IST). The iconic ground has hosted a total of 165 ODIs to date. Chasing sides have won 84 of these games. The average first-innings score at this venue is 231. The match will be aired live on the Sony Sports Network, while SonyLIV has the streaming rights (live subscription).
India will be the heavy favorites heading into the one-dayers. They boast a 51-10 win-loss record (Tied: 2). Notably, the Men in Blue have won their last 12 ODIs versus Zimbabwe. Their last defeat was during the Triangular series featuring Sri Lanka in 2010. Also, India last toured Zimbabwe for a bilateral series in 2016, winning both ODIs (3-0) and T20Is (2-1).
An in-form Sikandar Raza has the hopes pinned to him for the duels. He has hammered 3,483 runs in ODIs, striking at 84.60. Raza, who bowls off-spin, has claimed 68 scalps at 43.44 so far. The star all-rounder has registered two half-centuries and as many hundreds in nine ODI innings this year. The 36-year-old has been a force to reckon with.
