India will begin their three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday, July 23, with new captain Shreyas Iyer under pressure to revive a team that has suffered a difficult run in the shortest format.
The first T20I will begin at 4:30 pm IST where Indian viewers can get a late afternoon start. The match will be played in Harare, where India will try to put behind a poor run of results in recent months.
The series comes after India's struggles in Ireland and England. India had back-to-back defeats against Ireland before another difficult campaign in England. India are still searching for their first T20I win under Iyer, who took over the captaincy in June. ([ESPN Cricinfo][1])
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Under Spotlight
One of the main talking points for the opening match will be the return of young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The teen had a poor run so far in his career and he scored 14, 13 and 15 in three matches.
His ability to cope with short-pitched bowling and his attitude of playing aggressively under pressure will be closely monitored as he returns to the Indian setup. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have a pace attack that would test India's young batting line-up.
Blessing Muzarabani, Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava are among the Zimbabwean fast bowlers that are going to be a serious challenge. Sikandar Raza has a lot of experience and is a dangerous all-round option for the hosts. ([icc][2])
Iyer Searching for First Win as Captain
Iyer was appointed T20I captain earlier this year at the expense of Suryakumar Yadav and the expectation of the team's new captaincy was too high. But the recent performance of the Indian side has put the spotlight on the team and the new captain.
Now India will have the chance to rebuild confidence and test young players as they prepare for international games from now on. India’s men’s team will have some players on the team for the Zimbabwe series as well as the young players who are going to come back home. (Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Mayank Yadav and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are among the most promising and there are a few other young players in the Indian team.)
Raza’s Zimbabwe will be hoping to exploit India’s recent vulnerability. The hosts have also made changes to their squad and will try to use home conditions to challenge the visitors. ([icc][2])
India vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I: Where to Watch
The first T20I will be played at the Harare Sports Club on 23 July with the match starting at 4:30 pm IST.
In India, the match will be broadcast on Unite8 Sports and live streaming on FanCode, as shown in the series details.
India's tour of Zimbabwe will include three T20Is, the second match being played on July 25 and the third on July 26, all of them on a team tour in Harare. The opening match will be an important test of whether Iyer’s young team can finally turn its recent fortunes around. ([BCCI.tv][3])
