Match Details
Date: July 6, 2024
Time : 4:30 PM IST
Venue : Harare Sports Club, Harare
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Preview
Zimbabwe will play against India in the first T20I of the five-match series at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. The hosts Zimbabwe last played a T20I nearly two months ago against Bangladesh during an away series, which they lost 1-4, which has led to a wholesale number of changes in the squad. Meanwhile, the newly crowned T20 World Cup champions will have none of their players from the title winning squad in the first couple of T20Is, making it an intriguing series for the fans to look forward to.
Pitch Report
The pitches at the Harare Sports Club are known to be quite decent for batting, but it also provides early assistance to the pacers, and spinners to come into play in the middle overs with some turn on offer as well. With that, the average first innings score of 156 runs in T20Is at this venue, which might not prove to be enough for either India or Zimbabwe to defend in the first match of their upcoming series.
Team Analysis
Zimbabwe
Sikandar Raza will be captaining the Zimbabwe cricket team which welcomes Antum Naqvi, the Belgium-born cricketer of the Pakistani descent, in the squad for the first-time. Wesley Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta have returned to the set-up after serving their drug suspension, while Tendai Chatara will be bringing his experience to the team after being on the sidelines for some time.
Zimbabwe squad for T20I Series
Sikandar Raza (c), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Milton Shumba
India
Shubman Gill will be leading the Indian cricket team in the five-match T20I series which boasts all the star performers from the recently concluded IPL 2024 season. Some of the players to watch out in the Indian set-up includes names like Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Rinku Singh, Tushar Deshpande, and Harshit Rana.
India squad for first two T20Is of the Series
Shubman Gill (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana
Match Prediction
Conclusion
The Indian cricket team will be firm favourites to win the first T20I of the five-match series against Zimbabwe owing to their greater exposure to top-quality cricket and the ability to play aggressive cricket irrespective of the situations or opponents.
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