Zim v Ind 3rd T20I: Team India Predicted XI

The short tour of the Indian team to Zimbabwe will come to an end as the two teams will clash for the one last time on the tour at Harare in the 3rd T20I. The match is surely of great importance as it would be the series decider. With a win each, the free-spirited Zimbabweans will fancy their chances to cause an upset. India, on the other hand, will look to continue their dominance and at the same time, reassure that the defeat in the 1st T20 was a rare blemish. India thumped Zimbabwe in the ODI series, winning it 3-0. The T20s didn’t start as ideally for the visitors as they would have liked. However, after having lost the first T20, India thoroughly outplayed Zimbabwe in the 2nd T20. India bundled out Zimbabwe for a paltry 99, before run routing the opposition with a 10 wicket win. Coming into the 3rd and the final T20, skipper MS Dhoni will have a major selection conundrum. The questions are many. Will India field the benched players or will they go with the same team? Here is the Team India Predicted XI for the last match of the tour: 1. KL Rahul India batsman KL Rahul. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Opener KL Rahul had a horrid start to his T20I career, as he was dismissed for a golden duck. However, he came back strong in the next match to get his team through with an unbeaten 47. Rahul has been solid at the top of the batting order and is most likely to retain his spot. Given the kind of form he is in, having been awarded the Player of the Tournament in the ODIs, Dhoni would like to see the young man cash in a little more of the opportunities he is getting. 2. Mandeep Singh India batsman Mandeep Singh. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Mandeep Singh scored his maiden half-century in the last match and hit the winning runs during his knock of an unbeaten 52. He looked good in the first T20 as well, where he got a decent start but failed to capitalize back then. Now, the young man looks in a good touch and it will only be a surprise if he misses out to play in the final ODI. He will surely be a part of the playing XI as the series decider gets underway. 3. Ambati Rayudu India batsman Ambati Rayudu. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Ambati Rayudu is yet to deliver in a major role on the tour. He has played the second fiddle to KL Rahul in the ODI series but failed to contribute in the T20s. In his defense, he has got his chance to bat in the T20s just once and hence is unlikely to be dropped. In the absence of senior players in the team, Rayudu serves the purpose of a calm head under pressure and will be the key for India in the last match. 4. Manish Pandey India’s batsman Manish Pandey holds his head after losing his wicket during the first T20 cricket match. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Manish Pandey is one of the most talented young batsmen at the moment and he has made the most of the limited opportunities he has got in his short ODI career. Pandey held the fort for India in the first T20, as all other batsmen perished around him. He scored a gritty 48 off just 34 balls with 3 maximums to his name. Till the time he was at the crease, India seemed to be in full control of the chase then. With the kind of form he is in, he is sure to be picked for the final game. 5. Kedar Jadhav Kedar Jadhav. (Photo Source: BCCI) Kedar Jadhav hasn’t quite impressed on the tour yet. While most of the players have tasted success on the tour and made a mark when an opportunity beckoned, Jadhav has failed largely. He has got starts, including a decent start in the first T20. He, however, has been found guilty of throwing away his wicket. Jadhav, who hit a century against Zimbabwe last year, is expected to field in the playing XI. 6. MS Dhoni Zimbabwe’s players Malcolm Waller (C) and Donald Tiripano (R) shake hands with India’s captain MS Dhoni. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) The skipper has batted just once on the tour and much to the dismay, he could not take his side to the winning position then. Needing 4 to win off the last ball in the 1st T20, Dhoni was expected to take India through, under miraculous circumstances. But he could not. He will anyway continue to lead the young team and if things go the way they did in the last match, Dhoni will have another series win under his belt. 7. Axar Patel India bowler Axar Patel. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) By far, Axar Patel has been the best all-rounder for India on the tour. Axar Patel has bowled well and picked up wickets at the regular intervals. Even on occasions when he has failed to pick up a wicket, he has ensured that the run flow does not increase. In the only opportunity he got to bat, he hit a 9-ball 18, that almost won the game for his team. He will be a part of the eleven that takes the field at Harare. 8. Jasprit Bumrah India bowler Jasprit Bhumra. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Jasprit Bumrah has undoubtedly been India’s best bowler on the tour. The hosts have failed to pick him up and he has made full use of it. He was unplayable in the ODIs and was at his peak best when he played in the 2nd t20. He picked up 3/11 in his 4 overs and got the crucial breakthroughs when needed. Since a win would be on MS’ mind, he will be a key part of the team. 9. Barinder Sran Barinder Sran. (Photo Source: BCCI) Barinder Sran was left out of the team for the 1st T20 and India missed him dearly with the new ball. He got his opportunity in the second game and ripped apart the Zimbabwean batting top order to get the early breakthroughs for India. He picked up 4/10 in his four overs as India reduced Zimbabwe to 99/9 in their 20 overs. He has been forming a formidable bowling pair with Bumrah with the new cherry. 10. Yuzvendra Chahal Yuzvendra Chahal. (Photo Source: BCCI) Yuzvendra Chahal has been a revelation for India on the tour and he was rightly awarded the emerging player of the tournament after the ODI series. Albeit he hasn’t quite been among the wickets in the first two games in the T20s, he hasn’t leaked out too many runs either. MS will surely like to give him one more go for the young man to get his confidence in the shortest format too. He will be in the mix of things for India. 11. Dhawal Kulkarni India bowler Dhawal Kulkarni celebrates the wicket of Zimbabwe’s Chamunorwa Chibhabha. (Photo by JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty Images) Dhawal Kulkarni was slightly on the expensive side in the last match as he went for 32 runs in his 4 overs and picked a solitary wicket. He, however, has been in terrific form with the ball and has delivered the goods for India on most occasions on this tour. With Jaydev Unadkat and Rishi Dhawan not clicking with the ball, he becomes as obvious choice as the third seamer in the team. In fact, he is most likely to share the new ball with Barinder Sran as Bumrah could come in as first change. Playing XI: MS Dhoni (c), KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Barinder Sran, Dhawal Kulkarni, Yuzvendra Chahal.

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Zim v Ind 3rd T20I: Team India Predicted XI

11. Dhawal Kulkarni

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