'Sanju's chance to unleash himself': India to face Zimbabwe on Thursday

MUMBAI: The first ODI match in India's tour of Zimbabwe will be played in Harare on Thursday at 12.45 pm. The second match of the three ODI series will be played on the 20th and the third match on the 22nd.

India will be led by KL Rahul. This series is crucial for Sanju who has been included in the squad. Sanju Samson will come out with the aim of becoming a permanent member of the ODI team in a situation where it is almost certain that he will not get a place in this year's Twenty20 World Cup.

This series is not very relevant for Indian cricket. But for a player like Sanju Samson who aims to stay in the team, a series against a team like Zimbabwe is an opportunity to unleash his talent. In 2015, Sanju wore the Indian shirt for the first time during a tour of Zimbabwe.

Sanju has been named as the second wicket keeper in the team along with Ishan Kishan. Ishan was replaced by Sanju in the playing eleven for the ODI series against West Indies. Sanju scored a half-century and was highly praised for his keeping skills. Therefore, it is almost certain that Sanju will play in the series against Zimbabwe as well.

Indian Team:

KL Rahul (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Rituraj Gaekwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Akshar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasid Krishna, Mohammad Siraj, Deepak Chahar.