India clinched the ODI series against Zimbabwe in a cakewalk, winning the first two matches without much stress or strain. After losing the first by 10 wickets, Zimbabwe put up a better show in the second, but couldn’t prevent India from winning by 5 wickets.
The margin could have been bigger had batsmen been a little more circumspect. But chief coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma (both not on this tour) have been working on a new template of unrelenting aggressive batting in both T20s and ODIs as preparation for the impending T20 World Cup as well as next year’s ODI WC, so the high-risk game was understandable.
Usually, such emphatic success would be a source of great delight in the winning team’s dressing room. All players take the field to win with as big a margin as possible However, with the T20 World Cup looming large, India’s selectors and team management may have preferred a stiffer contest to sharpen their assessment of players to take to Australia for the big assignment.
The third ODI will be played on Monday. Zimbabwe could well recover from the hopelessly one-sided defeats in the first couple of matches though frankly, this seems difficult. The gulf in calibre and experience of both teams is large.
This is not to disrespect the home team. Only recently, Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh 2-1 in an ODI series. And who can forget the wonderful exploits of their teams in the 1980s, 90s and the first decade of this millennium.
However, in the past 12-15 years, Zimbabwe cricket has been struggling to stay afloat for diverse reasons. It is the duty of major teams to engage with them in as many matches as possible to keep cricket alive in countries that have unfortunately got marginalized at the international level for reasons of demography or finance.
The richer Boards engage with each other disproportionately at the cost of poorer ones and in the wider context, this does not help expand the footprint of the sport.
In such a situation, a series against India – in any format — is most coveted. Matches against India, bring in audiences, on the ground and more so on TV which in turn brings in the moolah. Money is a very important aspect, but a consequence of excellence which helps bring in the cash.
Recognition and appreciation of skills is something every sportsperson craves. Playing against India also affords rich experience in competing against some of the best players in the world. I firmly believe the BCCI should be in the vanguard to help the sport develop in other countries, which it hasn’t always done earnestly, preferring to focus on its balance sheet instead.
That said, because the ongoing series against Zimbabwe has been one-sided, it hasn’t provided India’s selectors and team fresh and important insights into selecting the team for the T20 WC.
Consider KL Rahul, Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav who had all been out of the game for long periods because of injury before this series. Yadav had played intermittently since the IPL, Rahul not at all. Chahar’s absence had been the longest — more than six months.
All three were in Zimbabwe primarily to give them game time. But in the first match Rahul, integral to the Indian T20 squad, did not get to bat. Openers Dhawan and Gill took India home easily and Rahul, who must have been itching to get into the middle, was left to watch from the dressing room.
In the second match, Rahul didn’t get into double figures. While his calibre is undoubted, the lack of match play at the top level for Rahul is worrying.
Chahar, also a crucial member of the India T20 team till he got injured, made good use of the opportunity though, plucking three wickets in his opening spell in the first match which ensured a below-par total by Zimbabwe. However, Chahar was clearly still not in the best rhythm.
While his return to international cricket was welcome, the quality of the opposition wasn’t daunting. Dravid and Rohit Sharma would surely like to see more of Chahar and against better batsmen as the battle for places among fast bowlers in Indian cricket currently is intense.
Jasprit Bumrah (not in Zimbabwe or in the Asia Cup) and Bhuvaneshwar look certainties for Australia. Among those in contention is T20 specialist Harshal Patel who incidentally is still in rehab so not touring ring Zimbabwe and also not in the squad for the Asia Cup.
This gives the selectors very few matches to assess the fitness and form of Chahar and Patel with rookies Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh snapping at their heels to win a place in the WC squad.
The situation is similar in the spin department. Kuldeep Yadav, who made a comeback to the national T20 team, has not had much opportunity to make an impact, what with injury compelling him to spend time in rehab in the National Cricket Academy instead of in the middle
With Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal clear frontrunners for taking two spinners’ slots in the WC squad, there is only one place open in the spin department. Kuldeep looked favourite to clinch this but has serious competition now.
R Ashwin has found favour again and is in the Asia Cup squad, Axar Patel has impressed with both ball and bat to keep his hopes alive and young Ravi Bishnow is lurking in the background in hope. With very little game time to show – Kuldeep’s prospects have undoubtedly been affected.
How important will performances in Zimbabwe merit is moot. I reckon selectors, chief coach and captain are all training their sights on the Asia Cup to make up their minds. Meanwhile, time’s running out.
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