Daijiworld Media Network

Bulawayo, Aug 1: Hello and welcome to the coverage of the 4th ODI between Zimbabwe and India. The action shifts to Bulawayo and the visitors have already sealed the series 3-0 and are in a position to experiment with their reserves. Mohit Sharma is likely to get his ODI cap and Pujara also might make his debut in the ODI's.

India have won the toss and elected to field

Brendan Taylor: 'We would have bowled first. No changes in our team. The first 30 minutes are important. I hope the guys can step up and perform well.'

Virat Kohli: 'We will bowl first. This is a fresh wicket and we want to exploit the conditions. The wicket looks different from Harare. Shikhar Dhawan has been rested. Pujara makes his debut. Vinay Kumar has a groin injury and Mohit Sharma makes his debut.'

Pitch Report: The wicket is hard and there are some sprinklings of grass. There will be some early morning moisture.

Teams:

Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Vusi Sibanda, Sikandar Raza, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor(w/c), Sean Williams, Malcolm Waller, Elton Chigumbura, Prosper Utseya, Tendai Chatara, Brian Vitori, Michael Chinouya

India (Playing XI): Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik(w), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Shami Ahmed, Jaidev Unadkat, Mohit Mahipal Sharma

Match preview :

India have always been challenged on their previous tours of Zimbabwe but on this one, Virat Kohli's men have dominated in all spheres. Thanks to some excellent batting by the top-order and some incisive bowling by the hopefuls, the absence of MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and R Ashwin has not been felt at all.

Kohli has led from the front, set examples and the others have been more than happy to follow their captain. With the last two ODIs reduced to mere formality, it remains to be seen how many of the untested players from the squad get a look-in at Bulawayo.

India: With the series firmly in their pocket after an unassailable 3-0 lead, India would be expected to make some changes in the last two games of their Zimbabwean safari. While Ambati Rayudu and Jaidev Unadkat have turned in impressive performances so far, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Pervez Rasool would be itching to have a go too as the carnival moves to Bulawayo. While Pujara has already made his mark at the Test level, he is yet to get an ODI cap and he probably might get a look in, instead of Rohit Sharma who seems to have returned another period of slump, playing three forgettable shots in the three matches. Also waiting in the wings are Ajinkya Rahane, who was not long back, promised to be a regular in the ODI outfit and medium-pacer Mohit Sharma.

It could be difficult for Sharma to break in, if Vinay Kumar is still persisted with. He is of course the most senior among the pace attack but besides the last match, he has been rather ordinary. How Rasool fits into the team would be another cause for headache for Virat Kohli. Amit Mishra has been the best Indian bower so far while Ravindra Jadeja is an integral part of the line-up. Will India play three spinners here? That could well be a possibility given the Zimbabweans' susceptibility against the slower bowlers. With just three matches to go, as many as four players still have to be looked at and therein lies Kohli's challenge. Will he be brave enough to try some inexperienced players even at the risk of losing a game?

Strengths: India have been so powerful in all departments of the game that it is really difficult to point out any one area. It has been heartening to see Kohli's form with the bat and Shikhar Dhawan's touch. Rayudu has grabbed his chances with both hands and looks set to play in the remaining games as well. The only concerns have been Rohit and Suresh Raina; though the latter did well to finish off the last game with his captain.

Weaknesses: Even after having Zimbabwe on the mat, India struggled to bowl them out in the first two matches. Though they did well to skittle out the hosts for 183 in the third game, the bowlers seemed to hit a road-block against the lower order, leaking some easy runs. Like Kohli said, India's new ball bowlers could learn a thing or two from the Zimbabweans.

Zimbabwe: Andy Waller, the Zimbabwean coach had said that even if his team defeated India in one game, he would be a happy man. However, the Africans have not even come close to upsetting the world champions, who are without four of their key players, including regular captain MS Dhoni. But it has not been all gloom for the hosts. They have found in Sikandar Raza Butt a solid opener for the future and if his partnership with Vusi Sibanda
flourishes, Zimbabwe would be happy as a team. They have some good middle-order batsmen, who have not lived up to their promise against India, but they can still have a say in Bulawayo. Their captain, Brendan Taylor, has been the biggest disappointment. As the best batsman in the side, he has returned scores of 0, 12 and 23, hardly leading from the front. Sean Williams was outstanding against Bangladesh but the difference in quality has exposed some chinks in his armour too.

The hosts still have two games to make an impact and with India certain to make a few changes going into the fourth ODI, Zimbabwe have as good an opportunity as they would ever get to put one past the reigning ODI champions.

Strengths: Zimbabwe's biggest strength, home conditions, has been neutralised by an opposition that has been far superior. The early promise Raza showed in the series gave way to some poor shot selection against the moving ball on Sunday, as the entire team caved in against some top quality bowling. But in Taylor, Williams and Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwe have three wily cricketers, who can take on the might of the Indians on their day. Just when will it come is the question.

Weaknesses: Plenty. Zimbabwe have not been able to match up to India in any department and the team management would have their task cut out ahead of the penultimate match. Their greatest weakness has been to not play to their strength. The Zimbabwean seamers, have in patches, looked better than their Indian counterparts, but a lack of discipline, coupled with poor fielding and dropped chances, let the visitors off the hook. And you do not win matches by dropping catches against the best team in the world.