Predicting India's playing XI for Zimbabwe ODIs

India will play a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, starting from the 18th of August and it will go on until the 22nd of August. The Men in Blue recently whitewashed West Indies in the three-match series under the leadership of Shikhar Dhawan and the southpaw will again lead in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Rahul Tripathi has earned his maiden call-up for the ODI series while big names like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jaspirt Bumrah have all been rested. Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Deepak Chahar have been recalled into the side after a while and they will have a point to prove. This will be a good chance for the youngsters to make a mark in the international setup as we look into India’s predicted XI for Zimbabwe ODIs. 1. Shikhar Dhawan (C) Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH / AFP) (Photo by RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images) Shikhar Dhawan will lead once again in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in the absence of Rohit Sharma. The left-hander was spot on with his captaincy skills during the series against West Indies and helped India whitewash the host nation. The same result would be expected in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, considering India’s dominance in limited overs format in recent times. With scores of 97, 13 and 58 in the three outings against West Indies, Dhawan has been in really good form and the veteran batter has always been consistent when it comes to the 50-over format. The 36-year-old has an average of above 45 in ODIs in 155 games since his debut in 2010 which are excellent numbers. Dhawan is the most experienced player in the lineup and he will fancy his chances of scoring a century. He has been unlucky to miss out on the T20I setup for India with a number of youngsters coming up. However, he is unlikely to let go of his position in the 50-over format. 2. Shubman Gill Shubman Gill (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI) Shubman Gill was the Player of the Series in the three ODIs against West Indies and he was the most impressive out of the lot. Making a comeback into the ODI setup after more than one year, Gill straightaway looked in excellent rhythm and managed to create a big impact for the Indian side at the top of the order. The range of shots that Gill possesses at just 22 years of age, makes him one of the best youngsters going around and is touted as the future of the side. He likes to take on the bowlers coming down the track in the powerplay and has got the skillset to be a successful ODI player in the near future. Gill was quite close to getting his maiden international century in the third ODI against West Indies. However, the rain had different plans and he stayed unbeaten on 98. However, he is expected to get to the three-figure mark in the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe with three more chances. 3. Rahul Tripathi Rahul Tripathi. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Rahul Tripathi has finally earned his maiden call-up to the Indian ODI side, and he is likely to be played at the number three position for India. The right-hander who was quite impressive in the IPL 2022 this year for the Sunrisers Hyderabad did make the Indian squad for the Ireland T20Is but did not make his debut there. However, he is expected to get a go in the upcoming series, with Ruturaj Gaikwad being the only other batter in the series. Also, Tripathi has played at the number three position for his IPL franchise Sunrisers and is expected to play the same role for India in the 50-over format. Tripathi has got a wide range of shots in his armoury, and he can also contribute with a medium pace. With an average of 31 in 43 List A games at a strike rate of 86.35, Tripathi has deserved his call-up, and this will be a great opportunity for him to express himself as an international batter. 4. Ishan Kishan Ishan Kishan (Photo source:Twitter) Ishan Kishan was benched for the ODI series against West Indies as Shubman Gill was preferred ahead of him, and he is likely to get the nod in the middle-order in the Zimbabwe series. Although the left-hander might not get the wicketkeeping gloves, he can play the number four role where he was quite successful for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020. Kishan has been in excellent form in the last few T20I series for India and has managed to perform whenever he has been presented with an opportunity. The 24-year-old has played just three ODIs so far, scoring 88 runs and has got one half-century in his kitty. Kishan, with his aggressive batting style, might just be suited to the middle order, and he needs some big performances to get back in contention for the T20 World Cup 2022. The youngster has got immense potential, but it is important to back it up runs with a lot of contenders around. 5. Sanju Samson (wk) Sanju Samson. (Photo Source: Twitter) Sanju Samson had a terrific ODI series against West Indies, although he wasn’t among the top run scorers for the Indian side. The right-hander had a tough time in international cricket at the start. However, he managed to get past those hiccups and is looking a lot more mature and responsible at the moment. The right-hander had scores of 12, 54 and 6* in the three innings against West Indies and his half-century in the second game came at a very crucial run chase which helped India secure the series. He is likely to play a similar role in the side in the middle order given his abilities to up the anti quickly. Samson also has excelled behind the stumps and played a big part in winning the second ODI against West Indies when he made a flying save in the final over off Mohammad Siraj’s bowling. He can also hit the big sixes at will and will be looking to continue his good run in the upcoming series against West Indies. 6. Deepak Hooda Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: Twitter) Deepak Hooda played the role of an all-rounder at number six in the ODIs against West Indies and he has been finishing innings quite well for India in recent times. Apart from his fine century in the T20Is at number three, Hooda has been playing valuable innings in different positions and in different formats. Hooda had scores of 27 and 33 in the two innings he played against West Indies and he did not have enough time to settle in as a batter. He had to go after the bowling straightaway and batted with the tail mostly, which is not the easiest of jobs. However, with India grooming batters for different positions, Hooda certainly is among those being groomed. Apart from Hooda’s batting prowess, the 27-year-old was quite handy with the ball as the sixth bowling option and he opened the bowling in the final ODI. He picked up one wicket in the series but was economical whenever he was given the ball. India certainly would be looking to add another all-rounder in the reckonings in the form of Hooda. 7. Axar Patel Axar Patel (Photo Source: Twitter) Axar Patel used his opportunity in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja to make a big difference as the all-rounder single-handedly won the game for India in the second ODI. The left-arm spinner scored a 35-ball 64, which included three fours and five sixes and guided India to a victory which looked improbable at that stage. Axar has always been around the corner, but he has fallen behind in the pecking order, with Ravindra Jadeja being the first choice option. However, his continuous performances have been giving a lot of options for India at the moment, and Axar might have to improve on his batting abilities a little more to fight with Jadeja for a spot. Nevertheless, the 28-year-old has been around for a long time since his ODI debut in 2014 and he is likely to get the nod ahead of Washington Sundar for the number seven role. Axar can hit a long ball comfortably and he remains in contention for a spot in India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad as well. 8. Shardul Thakur Shardul Thakur. (Photo Source: BCCI) Shardul Thakur could not make much of a difference with the bat in the three ODIs against the West Indies. However, he showcased his wicket-taking abilities with the ball. The right-arm seamer picked up seven wickets in three games for India and ended as the joint highest wicket-taker for India in the series. Thakur has got the knack of picking up crucial wickets and has found breakthroughs in the toughest of times. He can also hit a heavy ball down the order, and he can swing the ball both ways upfront in the powerplay if needed. India will look to continue with him for the ODIs against Zimbabwe. The 30-year-old will also be looking to have an impact with the bat as the likes of Deepak Chahar will provide him stiff competition for the number eight spot. His spot in the playing XI might be under scrutiny if the management decides to get back Chahar in the lineup who can contribute with the bat. 9. Kuldeep Yadav Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images) Kuldeep Yadav was recently back in the T20I squad for the West Indies series but wasn’t picked up in the XI for the first three games. The left-arm chinaman is likely to be the first choice spinner with no Yuzvendra Chahal in the squad, and Kuldeep can be a match winner once he gets into his rhythm. Kuldeep had a terrific time in the IPL this year for his new franchise Delhi Capitals, and he managed to get back his place in the international setup through his performances. With 109 wickets in 66 ODIs, Kuldeep is one of the underrated spinners with the ability to turn around the game in a quick time. Nowadays, wrist spinners are far more effective in limited overs series than finger spinners, and they can control the middle-over period. It is important for Kuldeep to have a good series if he still has to make it to the T20 World Cup 2022 squad. 10. Prasidh Krishna Prasidh Krishna. (Photo by RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images) Prasidh Krishna had an ordinary series against West Indies in the two ODIs he played and picked up just one wicket. His economy rate was shattered above six, and he will be looking to make up for it in the upcoming ODIs against Zimbabwe. The right-arm quick can generate good speeds consistently, which makes him a potent option. Krishna had an excellent IPL 2022 season where he helped Rajasthan Royals to go into the finals, and he has grown in heaps and bounds on bowling in the powerplay. The tall lad from Karnataka has already picked up 21 wickets in 12 ODIs for India at an average of 24.76 and an economy rate of 5.29. Krishna brings a different variety into the bowling attack, and he can use his height to his advantage against any opposition. He still remains a contender for ODIs and Test matches but could not make it to the T20I squad. 11. Mohammed Siraj Mohammed Siraj celebrates after taking wicket in the third ODI. (Photo Source: Randy Brooks / AFP) Mohammed Siraj has managed to keep his position in the ODIs after some impressive outings in the three games against West Indies. The right-arm seamer bowled some high-quality deliveries to get rid of the West Indies top-order in the third ODI, and he used the cross-seaming deliveries and inswingers to his advantage. Siraj, who made his ODI debut in 2019, has so far taken 11 wickets in 8 games so far and is turning into an excellent death overs bowler. The 28-year-old kept nailing his yorkers in the final over for India and played a significant impact in the victory in the second ODI against West Indies. Siraj has got the competition of Avesh Khan in the dugout, and the latter’s every performance will be noted despite Siraj being a Test regular for India.

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