T20 World Cup champions, India will clash with Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series which gets underway in Harare from Saturday, the 6th of July. India are the best T20I team in the world – not only are they the world champions but also the number one ranked team in the ICC rankings. Zimbabwe are ranked 12 in T20I cricket.
This series will provide an opportunity to a number of young Indian players to show their mettle on the international stage. Some of the players to watch out for will be Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana and Tushar Deshpande. India last played a T20I series in Zimbabwe in 2016 and came out victorious 2-1.
India have won their last 5 T20I matches whereas Zimbabwe have lost four of their last five encounters.
LAST 5 MATCHES
INDIA – WWWWW
ZIMBABWE – LLLLW
THE LIKELY PLAYING XIs FOR INDIA & ZIMBABWE
India likely XI
Batters – Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag
All-Rounders – Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar
Wicketkeeper – Jitesh Sharma
Bowlers – Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana
Zimbabwe likely XI
Batters – Innocent Kaia, Milton Shumba, Dion Myers, Wesley Madhevere
All-Rounders – Sikandar Raza, Brian Bennett
Wicketkeeper – Clive Madande
Bowlers – Tendai Chatara, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Luke Jongwe
Statistical Performance (India)
1. RINKU SINGH
Rinku Singh has a great record in the limited opportunities he has got in T20I cricket and will be raring to go against Zimbabwe. Rinku’s ability to clear the ropes makes him a specialist in the death overs for India.
RINKU SINGH IN T20Is
| INNINGS | RUNS – | STRIKE RATE – | AVERAGE – | 50/100 – |
| 11 | 356 | 176.23 | 89 | 2/0 |
2. SHUBMAN GILL
Shubman Gill was not a part of the 2024 T20 World Cup contingent and will be eager to prove his mettle to cement his place as a permanent opener for India in the format.
SHUBMAN GILL IN T20Is
| INNINGS – | RUNS – | AVERAGE – | STRIKE RATE – | 50/100 – |
| 14 | 335 | 25.76 | 147.57 | 1/1 |
Players Who Can Make a Difference (India)
1. Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad was in brilliant form in IPL 2024 hammering 583 runs at an average of 53 and strike rate of 141. He can be explosive in the powerplay while also play the role of the anchor.
2. Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag was in stunning form in the IPL and can be the next big thing for India in T20I cricket. He was in fine form scoring 573 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 149.2 in the marquee tournament.
Statistical Performance (Zimbabwe)
1. Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza is a veteran in Zimbabwe cricket and one of the most talented all-rounders in the format. He played played 86 T20I matches and has a strike rate of close to 135 in the format.
SIKANDAR RAZA IN T20Is
| INNINGS | RUNS | AVERAGE | STRIKE RATE | 50/100 |
| – 82 | 1947 | 25.28 | 134.36 | 14/0 |
2. Blessing Muzarabani
Blessing Muzarabani is an exciting right-arm fast bowler who has bagged 60 wickets in 50 outings for Zimbabwe.
BLESSING MUZARABANI IN T20Is
| INNINGS | WICKETS | STRIKE RATE | ECONOMY RATE | AVERAGE |
| – 50 | 60 | 18.3 | 7.35 | 22.48 |
Players Who Can Make a Difference (Zimbabwe)
1. Luke Jongwe
Luke Jongwe is a right-arm fast-medium bowler who has been in good wicket-taking form of late. Jongwe has a bowling strike rate of 14.9 in T20Is.
2. Tendai Chatara
Tendai Chatara has bagged 62 wickets in 56 T20Is for Zimbabwe at an average of 23.38 and strike rate of 19.4. He has the ability to move the ball away from the right-handers.
TEAM HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
INDIA v ZIMBABWE – HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
MATCHES INDIA WON ZIM WON NO RESULT
LAST 5 T20Is 5 3 2 0
ALL T20Is 8 6 2 0
VENUE AND PITCH
The Harare Sports Club has hosted 41 T20I matches out of which the team batting first has won 23. However, the captain who has won the toss has preferred chasing in 23 matches. The probability of winning the match after winning the toss is 53.7%. The average first innings score is 156/7 while the average score batting second is 139/6. The highest team score at the venue is Australia’s 229/2 against Zimbabwe in 2018 whereas the lowest total is Zimbabwe’s 90 against Afghanistan in 2022.
The wicket has traditionally suited the pace bowlers in Harare who have accounted for nearly 63% of the wickets at the venue at an average of 24.7, strike rate of 19.1 and economy of 7.7. However, spinners have also got purchase from the wicket and have an average of 25.6 and economy rate of 7.1 in Harare.
A bright and sunny day with a maximum temperature of 26 degrees celsius is expected in Harare on Saturday.
MATCH PREDICTION
India will start favourites in the five-match series against Zimbabwe. India have a very strong batting and bowling line-up despite the fact that a majority of their first-choice players have been rested from the series. India have an 85% chance of winning the first T20I in Harare. Rinku Singh and Shubman Gill are the batters to watch out for in the match.
And finally, this is our Fantasy XI for the 1st T20I between India vs Zimbabwe. We have 8 players from India and 3 from Zimbabwe. Our batters include Gill, Gaikwad and Rinku Singh while our bowlers are Chatara, Masakadza and Avesh Khan
Our backup players include Milton Shumba as batter, Khaleel Ahmed as bowler and Sundar as all-rounder.
Fantasy XI
Wicketkeeper: JITESH SHARMA
Batters: RINKU SINGH, SHUBMAN GILL, RUTURAJ GAIKWAD, RIYAN PARAG
All-rounders: SIKANDAR RAZA (VC), ABHISHEK SHARMA (C)
Bowlers: RAVI BISHNOI, AVESH KHAN, TENDAI CHATARA, WELLINGTON MASAKADZA
BACKUP PLAYERS:
BATTER – MILTON SHUMBA
BOWLER – KHALEEL AHMED
ALL-ROUNDER – WASHINGTON SUNDAR.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
