Zimbabwe vs India Match Preview, 1st T20I

India will start their Zimbabwe tour with the first T20I at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on July 6. The second string of the Indian team has a lot to fight for as Shubman Gill leads the team for the first time. Gill was ousted from the T20 World Cup squad and the batter is itching to prove his mettle both in batting and leadership. On the other hand, the IPL sensations, Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma will have their first go at the international stage.

Zimbabwe, too, have a young brigade, with Sikandar Raza holding the captaincy reigns for the five-match T20I series. India will vary of the hosts bowling arsenal with the likes of Blessing Muzarabani, Wellington Masakadza, and Richard Ngarava performing well. Aiming for an international resurgence, Zimbabwe will take this series as a golden opportunity to announce their new version in the format.

Harare Sports Club Pitch Report

Harare Sports Club pitch is conducive to batters and will aid them throughout the game. The average first innings score here is 160 and the teams will look to pile up runs batting first. The pacers can get some help out of the surface, and the bounce will be the key. The temperatures will be around 26 degrees Celsius and there’s no rain threat.

Match Details:

ZIM vs IND Probable Playing XIs

India:

India have plenty of batting options in their squad, with Shubman Gill leading the pack and Rinku Singh getting a chance to bat up the order. All eyes will be on Abhishek Sharma as the batter will open the batting with Gill and is known for his fiery onslaught. Khaleel Ahmed has an opportunity to flourish in conditions suitable for his bowling.

Predicted XI

Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi

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Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe will rely on their pace battery to deliver goods, and a lot will depend on how Sikandar Raza manages his batter's options. He will be hoping Luke Jongwe and Brian Bennett to contribute with the bat and ball. Bennett and Raza engineered Zimbabwe’s memorable eight-wicket win against Bangladesh in their last match.

Predicted XI

Brian Bennett, Tadiwanshe Marumani, Sikandar Raza (c), Jonathan Campbell, Clive Madande (wk), Innocent Kaia, Wesley Madhevere, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava