Rahul on top of the mix

New Delhi, August 11

Senior opener KL Rahul will be leading the Indian team in the three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe after being declared fit by the BCCI medical team.

Shikhar Dhawan, who was named the captain initially, will now be Rahul’s deputy. Rahul was recovering from a sports hernia surgery and was supposed to play the West Indies series before testing positive for Covid-19.

Since his recovery was taking time, he was not initially selected for the Zimbabwe tour and given time to get fully fit before the all-important Asia Cup. However, the medical team has now given an all-clear after the requisite fitness tests.

Since he is the all-format first-choice deputy to regular skipper Rohit Sharma, his availability meant that Dhawan was relegated to vice-captaincy for the series.

Rahul’s addition took the squad strength to 16 as the selectors didn’t replace any player. But Rahul’s presence means that there is virtually no chance for Ruturaj Gaikwad to get a game in this series.

There will be no Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami for this series as they have all been rested. Bumrah, however, is nursing a back injury and is already ruled out of the Asia Cup in the UAE, starting August 27. Rahul and Deepak Hooda are the only two players in the main squad. — PTI

Chakabva to lead Zimbabwe

Harare: Batter Regis Chakabva will lead a 17-member Zimbabwe squad in the three-match ODI series against India. The matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club. The second and third matches are scheduled for August 20 and 22, respectively. “Chakabva will lead the home side in the absence of regular captain Craig Ervine who is still nursing a left hamstring tear,” Zimbabwe Cricket said in a statement. Zimbabwe will also be without Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara and Wellington Masakadza who are recuperating from thigh muscle tear, collarbone fracture and shoulder tendon injuries, respectively. pti

India squad

KL Rahul (captain) Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar.

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