Zimbabwe vs India 1st ODI Preview & Prediction
Jun 11, 2016
12:30 IST / 7:00 GMT
Harare Sports Club - Harare, Zimbabwe
ZIM
IND
ZIM vs IND Betting Tips
- India have young and talented players in their side, but they also lack exposure to international cricket.
- Zimbabwe know the ground conditions better and they will look to take advantage of the inexperience in the Indian squad.
- India boast an excellent track record against Zimbabwe and they had won their last ODI series against them 3-0.
ZIM vs IND Win Probability
The "Chance of Winning" Widget shows winning percentage depending upon live betting odds of teams participating in the match. The winning percentage is changed immediately when odds are updated.
Our Prediction
India are favourites to win
Zimbabwe are all set to host India this month for a 3-match ODI as well as T20 series at the Harare Sports Club. India's tour of Zimbabwe will commence with the ODI series, with the first match on June 11. After a long T20 action in the World T20 and then in the Indian Premier League, team India will have to re-adjust itself quickly for the 50-over format. This will be their fourth tour of Zimbabwe in a span of six years and they will fancy their chances for yet another clean sweep of the hosts. The match will begin at 9 AM local time.
Read on for our betting tips and match prediction on Zimbabwe vs India 2016 1st ODI.....
Venue and Toss
In the most recent ODIs played last year at the Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe had chased down Ireland's 268 with ease while Pakistan came close to chasing Zimbabwe's 276. This suggests 280-290 to be a good first-innings total. However, the pitch for Saturday's fixture is expected to be on the slower side and the batsmen could find stroke-making a little difficult. Considering this, a competitive first-innings score should drop down to something around 260.
The last four ODIs at this venue have all been won by the team that has batted second. Also, since it is going to be a morning start on Saturday, the moisture in the wicket should assist the bowlers first up. So the toss-winning captain will probably want to field first here.
It could be a tight contest if Zimbabwe win the toss and make first use of the conditions. Otherwise, it will get tough for the hosts to avert an Indian victory.
Zimbabwe Team News & Playing 11
If ZIM Bat First
Predicted score: 240+
Peter Moor and Chamu Chibhabha could open the batting for Zimbabwe. Moor had aggregated 165 runs in their last ODI series against Afghanistan. Hamilton Masakadza, who was the highest run-scorer in this series, will be the key batsman at no. 3. Chigumbura and Sikandar Raza, two of the more experienced batsmen in the middle-order, will look to keep the scoreboard ticking. Since there isn't much firepower in the lower order, the onus will be on Moor, Masakadza, Raza and Chigumbura to take Zimbabwe to 240 or more.
Jasprit Bumrah and Dhawal Kulkarni are likely to be given the new ball by India. Bumrah has been there in the side for a while now and he will be expected to pick up early wickets. Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm pacer Barinder Sran have had a good IPL and could find their place in the playing XI. Spinner Axar Patel will also be a threat in the middle stage of the innings. If the Indian bowlers strike early, Zimbabwe's hopes of reaching 240 will take a set back.
India Team News & Playing 11
If IND Bat First
Predicted score: 250+
The likes of Kohli, Rohit, Dhawan and Rahane have been rested for the entire tour. Their lineup consists of inexperienced but talented batsmen in Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair and Lokesh Rahul. Skipper MS Dhoni will be India's most experienced batsman for this tour. Rahul is almost certain to open the batting and his opening partner could be one of Faiz Fazal or Mandeep Singh. If Rahul, Pandey, Nair and Rayudu bat well at the top, it will get easier for Dhoni and the rest to power India to 250 or beyond.
Neville Madziva and Tendai Chisoro could be starting the proceedings for Zimbabwe with the ball. The two were amongst the leading wicket-takers in the ODI series against Afghanistan, and they will be backed by their team to give them the initial breakthroughs. Graeme Cremer will be leading the side and he is expected to be effective in Harare with his deceptive legbreaks. Though part-timer Sikandar Raza is a decent off-spinner, he will be targeted by the Indian batsmen. If Zimbabwe dismiss Rahul, Rayudu, Pandey and Dhoni cheaply, they will have a great chance of keeping India below 250.
Our Prediction
The last time India toured Zimbabwe in July 2015, they whitewashed the hosts 3-0 in the ODI series at Harare, and the men in blue will be coming with the same intention this time as well. Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have been pretty ordinary in the 50-over format, winning only 8 of the 22 ODIs since then. Their head-to-head record against India isn't great either with the latter leading 48-10.
The only thing which could lift Zimbabwe's spirits will be the lack of big names in the visiting team's squad. Leaving aside Dhoni and Rayudu, there will be plenty of inexperienced and fringe players in this India side. So Zimbabwe know that they have an outside chance of staging an upset, if they can perform collectively as a unit.
Although Zimbabwe are more familiar with the conditions in Harare, the good form of the Indian players makes us feel confident enough to back India to win the 1st of the 3-match ODI series on Saturday.
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