India's captaincy juggle continues as the Men in Blue have had seven different skippers so far in this year. Meanwhile, seventh skipper on the list, Shikhar Dhawan, who was to captain Team India for the Zimbabwe ODI series, was replaced by KL Rahul at the eleventh hour.
With Rahul's last minute surprise inclusion in the side, Dhawan has been entrusted with the deputy role.
Meanwhile, Dhawan has finally broken his silence after being replaced by Rahul as India's captain for Zimbabwe series.
Dhawan in the pre-match post conference said: "It is a very good news that KL is back and will be leading the side as well. He is one of the main players of this Indian team. It will be a good outing for him before the Asia Cup gets underway. I am sure he will gain a lot from this tour".
The vice-captain also looks forward to assist the youngsters who seek out for him.
"I quite enjoy sharing my experience with the youngsters in the team. I first came here in 2014 (actually 2013), when Duncan Fletcher was the Indian coach. If they (youngsters) reach out to me for any suggestions, I am (always) there to answer them," he said.
Rahul has been out of action for quite a while following a hamstring injury but will now look to make a strong comeback in the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe in the backdrop of upcoming Asia Cup.
Dhawan did admit not knowing much about the current Zimbabwe side, even though he acknowledged Sikandar Raza was a "good player who has been doing well for many years now." He did state, though, that they will have all bases covered come August 18, especially by channeling technology and data of their opponents in the right way.
"We don't play that much cricket [against each other], but we have all the data," he said. "From there, we find out the opponent's strengths and weaknesses. I guess that is where technology comes in handy. In one game, you get to know the patterns pretty quickly. Even before that we use technology to get going with our planning."
India's squad: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar.
Zimbabwe's squad: Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva (captain), Tanaka Chivanga, Bradley Evans, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, John Masara, Tony Munyonga, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Milton Shumba, Donald Tiripano.
