The gap between the two teams will always make such bilateral encounters one-sided but the bigger goal for the ‘Men in Blue’ will be to push the boundaries.
If Rahul wins the toss in the second ODI on Saturday, the immediate goal of the team will be to try to bat first.
An early start on the bouncy track and enough pinch in the air will present some challenge for the batsmen. No Jimmy Anderson or Josh Hedgewood will be in operation but still battling the conditions will be a good test for Rahul and his players.
Deepak Chahar pointed out after the first game that there is little help for the bowlers during the second session and the only time there is for the batsmen is the first hour of the match.
The morning session, with balls moving from both sides, albeit with gentle pace, would be a sufficiently extended net session for Rahul, before facing the might of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Asia Cup.
While ‘Captain Rahul’ showed his big politician qualities by opening Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill in the first game, ‘Batter Rahul’ also needs to get his priorities right ahead of the Asia Cup.
They need to adapt quickly to Team India’s philosophy of “attack at all costs from the beginning” and it just cannot happen overnight.
Against a team like Zimbabwe, which is not even good enough to challenge a top Indian home team, Rahul will get a perfect opportunity to experiment with his batting.
Similarly, if Deepak Hooda is given a chance to bat in the batting order, then he can also boost his confidence.
Then there is Sanju Samson, if he plays at No 4, it gives him ample scope to make important innings.
As for acting head coach VVS Laxman, as much as he wants to experiment, he won’t mind winning the series before giving some reserves a chance to test himself.
Hence the left-right combination of Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul would not be a bad choice if Shikhar Dhawan’s arm injury becomes serious at the end of the match.
Winning series is important, but creating different situations and testing youth sports awareness in the pressure cooker scenario should be on the checklist.
Deepak Chahar bowling seven overs in one run is a good sign and indicator that he is slowly increasing his workload.
Similarly, the famous Krishna would like to try a few more variations than his back of length stuff while Mohammad Siraj wouldn’t mind picking up a few more wickets.
As early morning batting can be a challenge for Rahul & Co, bowling in hot afternoon conditions without any lateral pace will test the character and improvisation skills of the fast bowlers.
Teams (from):
India: KL Rahul (C), Shikhar Dhawan (VC), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishaan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prashant Krishna , Mohammad Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Shahbaz Ahmed.
Zimbabwe: Regis Chakabawa (c), Ryan Burle, Tanaka Chiwanga, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaya, Takudzwanashe Caetano, Clive Madande, Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, John Massara, Tony Munyonga, Richard Ngarawa, Victor Nyouchi,
Shumba, Donald Tiripano.
Match start: 12:45 am IST.
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