Zimbabwe vs. India, 1st ODI: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

After some initial worries about whether it would be cancelled, India begin their tour of Zimbabwe with the first of three one-day internationals in Harare.

Venue: Harare Sports Club, Harare

Date: Friday, July 10

Start time: 9 a.m. local time, 8 a.m. BST

Live on: Super Sports (Zimbabwe), Ten Sports (India)

Weather: According to Weather.com, Harare will be sunny, with temperatures peaking around 23 degrees Celsius.

Overview

It was only a few weeks ago that India’s tour of Zimbabwe looked unlikely to go ahead due to a dispute between the Indian cricket board and Ten Sports, the broadcaster.

For a time, it looked as though the Board of Control for Cricket in India might have asked to push the series back a year due to ongoing court issues.

However, things were ironed out between the two parties so the tour could go ahead, albeit with India selecting a second-string squad in an unrelated move.

The visitors will be led by Ajinkya Rahane in the captaincy role, with the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and others all rested.

There will still be some experienced players in the squad, however, including Harbhajan Singh, who has enjoyed something of a revival on the international stage.

Meanwhile, at the time of writing, Zimbabwe had named only a training squad for this series, but there are plenty of solid performers in there.

With filled stadiums expected, even in the country’s winter, it will be a welcome boost for the country’s cricketing coffers, and is an opportunity for some victories, too.

Team News

Zimbabwe (from): Sikandar Raza Butt, Regis Chakabva, Chamunorwa Chibhabha, Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Luke Jongwe, Roy Kaia, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Neville Madziva, Hamilton Masakadza, Christopher Mpofu, Richmond Mutumbami, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Donald Tiripano, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams.
 
India (from): Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Ambati Rayudu, Sandeep Sharma, Karn Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa, Murali Vijay.

Key Players

Elton Chigumbura

Zimbabwe allrounder Elton Chigumbura is a key part of the home side’s batting and bowling and is one of their more senior players.

If the hosts are to be successful, they may well need him to contribute in a big way.

Robin Uthappa

Brought in to keep wicket with Mahendra Singh Dhoni rested, Robin Uthappa will have plenty of eyes on him in this game.

Uthappa had a decent season in the Indian Premier League and will want to carry that on and show he is a capable successor to the superstar Dhoni.