Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd ODI – Preview, Match Details, Pitch Conditions and Updates

India and Zimbabwe are currently competing in a three-match ODI series at Harare Sports Club. India won the first ODI by ten wickets on the back of the fifties from Shikhar Dhawan and Shubhman Gill. Deepak Chahar picked a three-for in the match, alongside Axar Patel, and produced a great comeback after missing out on the international matches since the 2022 Indian T20 League.

India will go off against Zimbabwe in the second ODI at the same venue tomorrow (August 19). The Men in Blue will look to win the series and thump Zimbabwe 2-0. However, for the latter, it is all about bouncing back as they are in supreme confidence after defeating Bangladesh in the ODI series. Here is the match preview for the second ODI between India and Zimbabwe:

Team News:

Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe batters put on a poor show as they failed to capitalize on a good batting pitch in the first match. Innocent Kaia failed to emulate his exceptional form from the Bangladesh series. Sikandar Raza was disappointing after scoring two consecutive centuries against the Bangla tigers. Brad Evans, skipper Regis Chakabva and Richard Ngarava looked in decent touch and would look to carry on with their form.

The bowlers did not pick a single wicket and this might come to haunt them in the second ODI as well. The Chakabva-led men did not look in good touch but will look to bounce back in the second ODI.

Players to watch out for:

1) Regis Chakabva: 

The skipper looked in fine touch in the first ODI. He played a well-made thirty-five off 51 balls in the first match and will look to carry on. Chakabva will look to lead from the front and level the series with an impactful performance.

2) Innocent Kaia: 

Innocent Kaia, the powerful batter for Zimbabwe, failed to give his best in the first match. The batter was dismissed for just four runs off twenty balls. However, he will be one of the players to watch out for in the second match as he might come back harder at the Indian brigade.

3) Sikandar Raza:

Sikandar Raza cannot be ruled out of the list as he is a player to watch out for in the next match as well. He scored two centuries in the last ODI series and might as well contribute a lot with the bat in the current series.

Predicted Playing XI: Innocent Kaia, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wesley Madhevere, Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva(C, WK), Clive Madande, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi

India:

The Indian batters Shikhar Dhawan and Shubhman Gill won the first game comprehensively for India by ten wickets. The openers did not gift their wickets and held their fort right throughout the match. Dhawan and Gill will look to carry on the same while the middle order will look to make use of the opportunity if needed.

Indian bowlers did an exceptional job and Deepak Chahar has made a statement with the ball ahead of the Asia Cup 2022. Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were brilliant with the ball as well.

Players to watch out for:

1) Shubhman Gill:

Shubhman Gill is will be a player to watch out for once again in this series. The batter has done well as an opener and might as well cement a place in the squad for the 2023 World Cup. The Gujarat batter will look to do the same in the second ODI and threaten the Zimbabwe bowlers.

2) KL Rahul:

KL Rahul did not get an opportunity to contribute with the bat in the first ODI. However, he will be a player to watch out for given he has entered the arena after quite a long time.

3) Deepak Chahar:

Deepak Chahar was impressive with the ball in the first ODI. Needless to say, he will look to impress in the next two ODIs as well. He is currently a reserve player for the Asia Cup 2022 and will look to make a cut to the main squad at the end of the series.

Predicted Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Shubhman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

Pitch report:

The pitch has so far fared out to be a good batting pitch. But the surface favours both departments and it is best suited for pacers initially. However, as the match goes on, the pitch can become slow and can favour batting. The average total score on this ground is 232. Teams winning the toss must bet on their batters and put a huge total on board by opting to bat first.

Match details:

Zimbabwe vs India, 2nd ODI

Date: 20th August 2022

Timings: 12:45 pm IST

Venue: Harare Sports Club

Live Telecast: Sony Sports Network

Live Streaming: Sony LIV