ZIM vs IND Dream11 Prediction 1st ODI, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report & Updates

ZIM vs IND Team Preview:

Zimbabwe (ZIM) will be hosting India (IND) in the first ODI match at Harare Sports Club in Harare on Thursday. Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh in their latest ODI series at home with some impressive performances from the batters. They clinched a 2-1 win in the T20I series as well and are expected to put a good challenge against India in this three-match ODI series. Wicketkeeper batter Regis Chakvbva will be leading the squad in this series with regular skipper Craig Ervine still out with a hamstring injury. Star pacer Blessing Muzarabani and spinner Wellington Maskadza are also unavailable due to different injuries.

India enters this series after their 0-3 ODI series win against West Indies and 1-2 win over England. Many senior key players are missing the squad due to an upcoming 2022 Asia Cup starting on the 27th of August. KL Rahul, who was initially left out, will be leading the squad and will be trying to regain match fitness before the mega tournament in UAE. The 27-year-old bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has replaced injured youngster Washington Sundar and is expected to make an international debut on Thursday. Notably, India have won all of their last five matches against Zimbabwe.

ZIM vs IND Match Details:

Zimbabwe vs India, 1st ODI

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare

Date & Time: 18th August at 12:45 PM IST and 09:15 AM Local Time

Live Streaming: SonyLIV

ZIM vs IND, 1st ODI Pitch Report:

The pitch at Harare Sports Club is well balanced for both batters and bowlers in white-ball cricket. Pacers are likely to get extra seam and bounce during the first innings and batters need to sweat out for the big runs due to bigger boundaries. The average first innings score is just around 231 runs and teams batting second have more success on this pitch.

Injury News:

Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the entire series due to a shoulder injury.

ZIM vs IND, 1st ODI, Probable Playing XIs:

Zimbabwe

Tadiwamashe Marumani, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Innocent Kaia, Wessly Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva (c & wk), Tony Munyonga, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Victor Nyauchi, Richard Ngarava.

India

KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson (wk), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Avesh Khan.

Top Picks for ZIM vs IND Dream11 Match:

Top Picks – Batters

KL Rahul:

The Indian skipper has missed a large chunk of India’s last 22 international matches due to various reasons and will be very eager to return to the pitch to gain some match fitness before the 2022 Asia Cup. He was excellent in the Indian Premier League 2022 with 616 runs in just 15 matches, including two big fifties in the last two matches. Rahul will be a safe captaincy choice for this clash.

Shubman Gill:

The 22-year-old opening batter made a remarkable return to ODI cricket with 205 runs in three matches against West Indies. He scored 64 and 43 runs in the first two matches and smashed unbeaten 98 runs off 98 balls in the last match. He missed his maiden hundred due to an interruption from rain and will be looking to pick up where he left off in West Indies.

Top Picks – All-Rounders

Sikandar Raza:

The in-form veteran all-rounder smashed two back-to-back centuries against Bangladesh and finished the series with five wickets as well. He scored 135 runs off just 109 balls in the first match and 117 runs and a three-wicket spell in the second match. Raza has scored 3483 runs and has taken 68 wickets in 117 ODI matches and will be a good captaincy option for this match.

Top Picks – Bowlers

Shardul Thakur:

The in-form Indian pacer will be eager to prove his worth after missing out on the squad for the 2022 Asia Cup. He took the highest seven wickets in just three matches on the West Indies tour and will be India’s key bowler in the absence of regular stars. He has taken 32 wickets in just 22 ODI matches at an economy rate of 6.58 so far.

Deepak Chahar:

The right-arm pacer will be making his return to international cricket after a big gap of six months. He last played ODI cricket against West Indies in February 2022 where he scored 38 runs off 38 balls and took two wickets while conceding just 41 runs. He has taken 10 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 6.01 and has scored 179 runs in seven ODI matches at an average of 59.66.

Top Picks – Wicketkeeper

Sanju Samson:

The talented wicketkeeper batter is an easy wicketkeeping option to pick with Ishan Kishan and Regis Chakabva struggling for consistency lately. Samson has played only four ODI matches so far and scored his maiden fifty on the West Indies tour. He also played a crucial unbeaten 30-run knock in a T20I match against West Indies and will be looking to cement his regular place in the Indian squad.

ZIM vs IND Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for ZIM vs IND Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Team:

Regis Chakabva, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Innocent Kaia, Sikandar Raza, Deepak Hooda, Wesley Madhevere, Deepak Chahar, Luke Jongwe, Shardul Thakur.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for ZIM vs IND Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Team:

Sanju Samson, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Sikandar Raza (vc), Tony Munyonga, Deepak Hooda, Richard Ngarava, Luke Jongwe, Shardul Takur.

ZIM vs IND Risky Captaincy Choices:

Innocent Kaia:

Kaia has been in good form lately with his first ever century during the Bangladesh series. He scored 110 runs off 122 balls in the first match but managed only 17 runs in the next two matches. He has played only six ODI matches so far and has scored 245 runs at an average of 40.83 and a strike rate of 71.22 so far.

Regis Chakabva:

The stand-in Zimbabwe skipper smashed his first century in the second ODI match against Bangladesh but has been very inconsistent in recent games. Apart from that century, he has scored only 29 runs in the last five matches and will be a risky captaincy choice on Thursday.

Player you should avoid:

Avesh Khan:

The 25-year-old right-arm pacer is struggling for consistency despite some excellent spells in international cricket. He has taken 11 wickets in 13 T20I matches at an average of 8.67. He made his ODI debut on the West Indies tour where he bowled only six overs and conceded 54 runs without any wicket.

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Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.