Preview: India vs Zimbabwe ODI series

Dropped on Sunday, Captain on Monday! Such has been the story of Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane. After being dropped for the final ODI against Bangladesh on account of his weakness whileplaying on slow tracks, he was handed over the captaincy for the Zimbabwe series after seniors decided to take rest.

Well, it is time for another series for the India Cricket Team. But wait, this time it’s not the usual squad playing! It’s a whole new second string of players touring Zimbabwe. The Indian selectors have finally rested the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and others after a long and tiring year. It is confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja has been dropped after some poor performances in the recent games. The call is right and he got way more chances than he deserved!  More importantly the spotlight is on Ajinkya Rahane who will be leading the team for the 3 match ODI series. While it is still not out who will be leading the T20I team, but the role is likely to be given to Rahane. The selectors have rewarded some players who have been consistently performing in the domestic circuit including Murali Vijay, Robin Uthappa and Sandeep Singh.

Sandeep Patil, the chairman of the selection committee was questioned about the decision to appoint Rahane as the skipper, to which Patil stated that he was picked due to the panel’s faith in him and ability.

“We are confident about his (Ajinnkya Rahane’s) ability, and we want him to do well, and judge him at the same time,” Patil was quoted as saying during the event.

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Harbhajan Singh who made a run of the mill comeback in the lone Bangladesh test has been given another chance with the white ball this time. His last outing in colored clothing for India was against the West Indians, back in the year 2011. A long wait indeed!  He only managed eight wickets in nine Vijay Hazare matches, but was Mumbai Indians' second-highest wicket-taker in the 2015 IPL. A chance for young guns!

Karn Sharma, the 27-year old leggie was also included in the squad, but was later ruled out due to a finger injury.No replacements were named by BCCI. Axar Patel was retained after the Bangladesh tour. The best bowler for India at the World T20 last year, Amit Sharma failed to make the cut. Being excluded for the tour is a cause of concern for the spinner as chairman of selectors, Sandeep Patil indicated that the squad was formed keeping the World T20 2016 in mind. He will need some strong performances to get back into the team.Kedar Jadhav who has played just one ODI for India against Sri Lanka last year, is back into the squad. He played only one Vijay Hazare match, and had a middling IPL season with 189 runs in 12 innings at an average of 23.62 and strike rate of 135.

Sandeep Sharma, the speedster from Punjab is the only uncapped player in the squad! And he rightly deserves the spot. After some stupendous spells in the Indian Premier League, and a good domestic season, this lad is one to watch out for! While he has the ability to swing it both ways, his outswingers are nightmares for the batsmen. He has shown his capability by troubling the better international players in the IPL.  Sandeep had impressive seasons in both domestic one-dayers and IPL. He took 17 wickets in six Vijay Hazare matches at an average of 15.52 and economy rate of 4.81. He was Kings XI Punjab's second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL.

Murali Vijay, the most deserving of all finally got a call to the One Day team after a dream run in Test matches over the past two months. He is one of the most consistent batsmen in the Test arena and also at the domestic level. Another notable selection to the squad is that of Robin Uthappa. Manish Pandey is also another one. These three share mutual stories. Uthappa has hardly any flaws in his technique and favours his selection with the ability to bat at both the top and also in the middle order. Coming to another batsman Manoj Tiwary, he has been very unlucky. Lack of chances in the IPL has put a pause to his career. Pandey was the highest run-getter in Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Tiwary was No. 9 on the list.

The rest of the squad is similar to that of the Bangldesh tour which includes batsman Ambati Rayudu, all-rounder Stuart Binny, and medium pacers Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvaneshwar kumar and Mohit Sharma. While the squad lacks any specialized wicket keeper, any of Kedar jadhav, Rayudu and Uthappa can take up the job.

Zimbabwe have made four changes in their squad for the first ODI against India. All-rounder Malcom Waller made his way back into the ODI squad after he was left out of the ICC World Cup 2015. The other players who were recalled are seamer Donald Tiripano, all-rounder Neville Madziva and wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva.

Charles Coventry, Craig Ervine, Roy Kaia, Tawanda Mupariwa and Christopher Mpofu are the ones that have been dropped for the upcoming ODI against India at home. These players featured during their tour of Pakistan. 

"In terms of balance, we have opted for nine batters, four seamers and two specialist spinners and our objective is to try and win the series. India has picked a strong side and we are taking them seriously.

"Mpofu and Kaia will be considered for the next matches in the series and Charles Coventry is in the mix for the Twenty20 series. Ervine is still nursing a hamstring injury," outgoing convener of selectors Givemore Makoni said in a press release from Zimbabwe Cricket on Wednesday. 

It will be exciting to see the young guns prove their selection and show their potential. Admist the all important Ashes, this series can bring some new players to the international arena. Stay tuned with us for more.

Here are the two squads for the first ODI:

India: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Stuart Binny, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma.

Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (C), Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Graeme Cremer, Neville Madziva, Hamilton Masakadza, Richmond Mutumbami, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Donald Tiripano, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller and Sean Williams.

The meeting, that is taking place at the ITC Maurya hotel in New Delhi, will also witness the selectors announcing the India A squad for the triangular series that will feature Australia ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’, the matches of which will be held at the Chennai and Wayanad.

India A squad: KL Rahul, Abhinav Mukund, Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer, Naman Ojha, Vijay Shankar, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Shardul Thakur, Varun Aaron, Abhimanyu Mithun, Umesh Yadav, Shreyas Gopal, B Aparajith