Shreyas Iyer returns as India T20I captain for the three-match series in Zimbabwe, starting with the first T20I on Thursday.
The visitors will be eager to bounce back after recent T20I series defeats to Ireland and England, with a squad that combines experienced names such as Iyer, Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan with several emerging players.
Zimbabwe, led by Sikandar Raza, will look to make the most of home conditions and challenge a relatively inexperienced Indian pace attack.
While India start as favourites on paper because of their stronger batting depth, the hosts will hope to capitalise on familiar conditions and push the visitors in what promises to be a competitive opening contest.
The Sporting News has all you need to know about the Zimbabwe vs. India 1st T20I, including date, time, and how and where to watch it.
Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20I live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch the Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20I in India:
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TV channel: Unite8 Sports 1/1 HD (Hindi) and Unite8 Sports 2/2 HD (English)
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Live stream: FanCode app and website
The match will be shown live on TV on Zee’s Unite8 Sports Network in India, while live streaming will be available on FanCode app and website.
The series will be broadcast in five languages, with DD Sports carrying select games free-to-air.
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What time does the Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20I start?
The first T20I match between Zimbabwe and India will be played at Harare Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe.
It will start at 1:00 p.m. local time (CAT), which translates to 4:30 p.m. IST on Thursday, July 23, in India.
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Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20I team news, lineups
Zimbabwe have an experienced squad featuring Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Tadiwanashe Marumani and Blessing Muzarabani.
Bennett and Ben Curran are the likely openers, while Brad Evans could add to the pace attack along with Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava, with skipper Raza and Burl providing middle-order experience and spin options.
Zimbabwe predicted XI: Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (c), Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri.
The Indian side blends experienced T20 players like Iyer, Abhishek Sharma, Kishan, Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh with emerging talents including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Harsh Dubey.
Ravi Bishnoi replaced injured Varun Chakravarthy among the spinners, while Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma and Mayank Yadav make up for an inexperienced pace attack.
India predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav.
Zimbabwe vs India 1st T20I: Betting odds
India are the favourites to win this tie at 1.09 on Dafa, while the odds for Zimbabwe to win are 7.20.
* Odds are correct at time of publish but subject to change.
