Series killer blow
Harare, July 12
Back to their collective best, a clutch of young Indian stars will be eager to usher in a new era in the shortest format when they face Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I of their five-match series here tomorrow.
After an unexpected defeat in the first match, the Shubman Gill-led side rediscovered its mojo in the second and third games to take a 2-1 lead with comprehensive wins.
In the existing cricketing landscape, a series win over Zimbabwe will not rank high in the pecking order, but it will certainly spark a sense of ambition among the youngsters who are keen to take the team forward post the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
None provide more compelling cases of that scenario than Washington Sundar and Abhishek Sharma.
Post the retirement of Jadeja from T20Is, Washington is eyeing the spin-all-rounder slot and he has shown some promising signs against Zimbabwe, taking six wickets at a fine economy of 4.5.
Whenever the selectors sit together to pick the Indian squad for the upcoming white-ball tour to Sri Lanka, they now will have to consider Washington’s name seriously. Abhishek bludgeoned a 47-ball hundred in the second T20I here, underscoring the hope around him as a long-term inclusion in the India squad. India will no longer have the services of Kohli and Rohit in the ultra-abridged version, and Yashasvi Jaiswal is the frontrunner to occupy one of those top-order slots.
Abhishek, Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad will hope to stake claim for the other vacant top-order.
The remaining two matches will also be an opportunity for Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson to keep themselves in the front row of players who will carry India into the future, producing some valuable efforts.
Indian management will also be pleased by the outing of their bowlers, particularly that of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, whose googlies were indecipherable for the home batters. With six wickets in three outings, Avesh Khan has also enjoyed bowling at the Harare Sports Club.
“We have played on different wickets here. We played the first two matches on the same deck, there was good bounce in the first match but in the second it had flattened out. The conditions are good, since it is an open ground the ball also swings a bit,” he said on the eve of the match.
“But since these matches are played in daytime, sometimes the wicket dries up but as a bowler you should be prepared to bowl in all situations. I always try to take wickets and with bigger boundaries here, as a bowler that is enjoyable,” Avesh added. — PTI
Gambhir will be a team coach: Avesh
Harare: Gautam Gambhir’s single-minded objective of winning at all costs and striving to extract cent percent out of his players make him a ‘team coach’, reckons fast bowler Avesh Khan, who is aiming for a longer and consistent run in the national set-up under the newly-appointed gaffer. Avesh, who has played under Gambhir’s mentorship at IPL side Lucknow Super Giants, shared a few insights on his style here on Friday. “Whatever I have learned from him, it is about the mindset that you should always look to get the better of your opponent and give your 100 per cent,” Avesh said today. “In team meetings, as well as one-on-ones, he would speak less but would convey his point as to what is to be done. He would assign tasks and roles to players and he has always been a team coach, he always wants to win and everyone to give their 100 per cent,” he added.
