Zimbabwe’s T20 captain Sikandar Raza believes the team has an equal chance of causing an upset to win the series against world champions ahead of the first of the five-match series set for Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
Zimbabwe face an Indian side who are on a high after they won the 2024 T20 World Cup after beating South Africa by 7 runs in the final played Kensington Oval in Barbados last Saturday.
And with senior players such as After Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja retiring from T20 internationals following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, the country selected a youthful side led by Shubman Gill for the Zimbabwe tour.
Zimbabwe also overlooked senior players Craig Ervine, Sean Williams and Ryan Burl in selecting the squad to face the World champions.
“Both teams have equal chance (to win the series). I always say irrespective of how many runs you have once you go out there you start from scratch. Of course there is experience which counts but anytime you play a game each team has a chance against any team so it will be nice to win this series as well,” he told reporters in Harare on Friday.
“It’s a very important series for Zimbabwe and for the vision that we have. As you know both sides have picked a young squad so clearly both countries are going through a transition phase. We want to make sure that when the senior guys are done the future of the squad and country is safe. So this is a lot of opportunity for youngsters and I am excited for them and they are excited as well,” Raza added.
South African coach Justin Sammons is set to begin his tenure as the Chevrons coach following his appointment by Zimbabwe Cricket last month.
Sammons is ably assisted by former Zimbabwe top order batsman Dion Ebrahim which former South African bowler Charl Langeveldt is the new bowling coach.
Ravish Gobind and Curtly Diesel also from South Africa are part of the technical team while Stuart Matsikenyeri is now the fielding coach.
India captain Gill said there was excitement in camp with the young players looking to kick off their international careers.
“There is a lot excitement because there are a lot of young players who will be playing for the first time. It’s always exciting when you player having their debut and playing well. There is always pressure for you to perform in every match. We have the pressure to do well as a team,” he said.