Zimbabwe will take on India in a five-match T20I series beginning with the first T20I on Saturday, July 6 at 4:30 pm IST. All matches will be played in Harare.
Zimbabwe will be led by Sikandar Raza, who has been leading the Zimbabwe team in T20I for some time. Under his leadership, Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup. Before this series, they lost to teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who played before the T20 World Cup.
As a result, the Zimbabwe Cricket Board has dropped some senior players from this T20I series. Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta and Wessly Madhevere are among those returning to the 17-man squad led by Sikandar Raza, but there is no place for Ryan Burl, Jaylord Gumbie and Ainsley Ndlovu. Veteran cricketers Craig Ervine and Sean Williams are also missing from this squad.
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This is a new-look Zimbabwe team with not many experienced players. Sikandar Raza will need help from the likes of Blessing Musarabani and Richard Ngarava with the ball to pose a challenge to India. In this article, we predict Zimbabwe’s starting XI for the first T20I against India.
Zimbabwe to play India in 1st T20I of India tour of Zimbabwe 2024
Jonathan Campbell
Campbell will open the batting for Zimbabwe. He made his T20I debut earlier this year and has played nine matches in that format. He played his last match against Zimbabwe.
Milton Shumba
Shumba will open the batting with Campbell. He has already played 30 T20Is for his country with a best score of 66. Every batsman has a chance to make an impact against India.
Dion Myers
Myers will take the third spot. He has played eight T20Is for Zimbabwe, totalling 36. He averages 17.38 with the bat and is batting close to 120.
Sikandar Raza (C)
Raza will occupy the fourth position and will have to anchor his team’s innings. He has played 82 T20Is for Zimbabwe and is closing in on 2000 T20I runs. He has also picked up 60 wickets.
Innocent Kaia
Kaia will bat at number five. She has already played 17 T20Is for Zimbabwe and has a best score of 54. She needs to step up in the middle order.
Wessly Madhevere
The all-rounder will be ranked sixth. He has already played 60 T20Is for Zimbabwe and has a best score of 73. He has also picked up 13 wickets in the format.
Clive Madandé (WK)
Madande will bat at number seven as a specialist wicketkeeper-batsman. He is the only wicket-keeper in the team selected for this series. He has also played 30 T20Is for Zimbabwe.
Tendai Junk
Chatara is one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced bowlers. He has played international cricket since 2010 and made his T20I debut against India. He is one wicket shy of 50 in T20Is.
Wellington Masakadza
The left-handed bowler will bat at the ninth position. He is the younger brother of former Zimbabwe opener Hamilton Masakadza. Wellington has played 50 T20I matches with 39 wickets to his name.
Musarabani Blessing
Musarabani will lead Zimbabwe’s pace attack. He has played against India in the past and hence the opposition. His pace and bounce will give Indian batsmen a hard time. He has picked up 60 T20I wickets in 51 matches.
Richard’s ship
Ngarava completes Zimbabwe’s likely starting XI for the first T20I. He has taken 62 wickets in 52 T20I games. He and Blessing Musarabani will be a big threat to the Indian batsmen due to their height.
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