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Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza believes his team has an equal chance of winning the T20I series against India which is scheduled to start on July 23. The back-to-back T20 World Cup champions have been going through a transition under Shreyas Iyer and faced series defeats in Ireland and England. Raza pointed out that Zimbabwe have been consistent of late and the T20I series against Zimbabwe will make for an entertaining spectacle.
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"Both countries will have an equal chance in this series. But one thing I am very sure about is that because Zimbabwe has been playing very consistent and very entertaining cricket, I can say this for sure that this series will be very entertaining," Raza told Star Sports.
In the year 2026, Zimbabwe have defeated Sri Lanka, Australia and Bangladesh. The decider of the T20I series against Bangladesh was a nail-biting encounter as well.
"As far as winning or losing is concerned, both countries have an equal chance to win the series," he added.
Raza also admits that Zimbabwe are going through a transition period as well. He does not expect the home series to be a one-sided affair.
"Yes, India is going through a transition and to some extent you'll see Zimbabwe is also gonna have a little bit of transition happening as well. I don't see it as a one-sided series," the 40-year-old further added.
Zimbabwe are currently placed 12th in the ICC T20I team rankings. Meanwhile, India have been recently dethroned by England as the Iyer-led side lost the five-T20I series 4-0.
The T20I series will begin on July 23 at Harare Sports Club. The rest of the two T20Is will be played on July 25 and 26 at the same venue.
Zimbabwe vs India head-to-head
This will be India's fourth T20I series against Zimbabwe. The first was in 2010 when India won 2-0. The two-T20I series in 2015 was drawn 1-1 whereas India won by 2-1 in 2016. The most recent T20I series between the two was in 2024 when Shubman Gill-led side won 4-1.
The last time India faced Zimbabwe in a T20I match was in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. In Chennai, India posted 256/4 on the board and won by 72 runs. While Zimbabwe faced a comprehensive defeat, opener Brian Bennett's unbeaten 59-ball 97 turned out to be a major positive.
Bennett has been Zimbabwe's leading run-scorer in T20Is in 2026. From nine appearances, he has scored 394 runs, averaging 78.80, featuring three fifties.
India vs Zimbabwe T20I squads
India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (vc), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Ravi Bishnoi.
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Clive Madande (wk), Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Milton Shumba.
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