ZIM vs IND: Shikhar Dhawan to lead India in ODIs
Shikhar Dhawan is set to lead India in the upcoming ODI series in Zimbabwe. The 36-year-old recently led the Men in Blue to a 3-0 ODI series win in the West Indies. India will miss the services of senior members Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, and Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, pace spearhead Deepak Chahar returns from injury. Here are further details.
India's squad for Zimbabwe ODI series
India's squad for Zimbabwe ODI series: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar.
Kohli set to miss another series
Former Indian captain Virat Kohli will miss the series. The Run Machine looked out of sorts in the white-ball series against England. It was reported that the 33-year-old might feature in the ODI series against Zimbabwe. The series could have acted as a base for Kohli to regain his lost touch. Kohli was also rested for the entire West Indies tour.
Deepak Chahar returns after his injury
Deepak Chahar makes a comeback to the Indian team after nearly six months. As per ESPNcricinfo, the right-arm seamer has recovered from his back injury. Besides, Rahul Tripathi has received a maiden ODI call-up as well. The right-handed batter fared well in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. All-rounder Washington Sundar and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav have also been included in the squad.
What about KL Rahul?
Top-order batter KL Rahul will have to wait for his international comeback. He has not recovered after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in Germany. Rahul also tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. The senior batter has not played competitive cricket since May this year. He led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to the playoffs of IPL 2022.
Who all have been left out?
The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal have been left out of the squad. According to ESPNcricinfo, there has been no official word on the selections of these players.
Key details about the tour
India will tour Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series next month. The tour will end days before the 2022 Asia Cup. The Zimbabwe ODIs will take place on August 18, 20, and 22, respectively. Notably, the matches will be of importance for Zimbabwe in order to participate in next year's Cricket World Cup. India, being the hosts, have automatically qualified for the mega event.
