One win and India will win the series. One win and the last match will essentially become a dead rubber. But at this point, winning the series is lesser of Shubman Gill’s worries. Indian management as well as Gill came to Harare hoping to create a blue-print for their future tours but that task has not been quite done yet. While they still have two matches to go, you never know when the hosts wake up from their slumber and start making things difficult for the visitors.
They did give India a little scare in the last game with a couple of late-innings partnerships and who can guess what could have happened if Zimbabwe had been a little disciplined with handling the ball? India would not want to jeopardize their chances of taking the series home on top of finding the right mix for the team.
Team Overview:
The Indian skipper finally played an inning that could well put a stopper to his run-drouth. While he was not very quick with how he bargained the runs, the innings helped India stay on the safer side even when Dion Myers and co. were on a rampage. But India need to loosen their grasp on the batters they have stacked in the team. It’s hurting the bowling lineup because that extra bowler can never get on the team. Undoubtedly, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, and Ravi Bishnoi have bowled immaculately for the blue team but it’s a risk no less than foolishness to throw all the bowling onus onto these bowlers.
Zimbabwe’s fielding is a reminder that you don’t only need good batters and bowlers to build a team. Knowing how to catch a ball is equally important and it is what they must look to improve. The positive for Sikandar Raza’s men is the middle order which is trying to jump above their weight to put runs on the board. There is one issue with middle orders like this, their firepower makes them more hungry for support from an anchor, especially from the top order. If somehow they figure out which player is going to take up the job, Raza would need to spend fewer nights staying wide awake.
Head-to-head Matches:
Both Zimbabwe and India have played eleven games against each other so far. Zimbabwe won three games of these and fell to the Indian juggernaut in eight games.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Rain is expected to again stay far away from Harare and the weather would just be ideal for a short and exciting T20 game. Generally, Harare is considered to have turfs with true bounce but Shubman Gill and a few other pundits have stated the opposite. Nevertheless, batters are still getting something from the pitch, or else posting back-to-back 180+ runs would not have been possible. The pacers can exploit the double-paced wicket while spinners would expect to wreak havoc in the middle overs.
Prediction:
There is no other way of saying this except just saying it. India would not be giving many chances to Zimbabwe to make a comeback and a series win within the sight now, they would want to put their name on it as soon as it can be.
Where to Watch:
India – Sony Sports Network (Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 4, and Sony Sports Ten 5) and Sony Liv App (Live Streaming)
Rest of the Word: Crichd.tv (Live Streaming)
