Zimbabwe vs India: Shikhar Dhawan wary of Sikandar Raza threat ahead of ODIs – Bowlers will come up with plans

Team India vice-captain Shikhar Dhawan lauded all-rounder Sikandar Raza for being on top of his game. The 36-year-old Raza is in the form of his life after he became the leading run-scorer in both the ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh. In the three T20Is, Raza scored 127 runs at an average of 63.50 and a strike-rate of 158.75 with a top score of 65*.

Although he bagged a golden duck in the third ODI against the Tigers, Raza racked up 252 runs in the series at an average of 252 with two centuries to his name. Dhawan, who was appointed as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, said that bowlers need to come up with proper plans to stop the in-form Raza.

“He is a very good player. He has been playing for Zimbabwe for a long time. He is a quality player. I am sure our bowlers will come up with nice plans against him,” Dhawan was quoted as saying.

Dhawan also mentioned that India can’t afford to undermine Zimbabwe by any means. The home team, recently, defeated Bangladesh in both the ODI and T20I series.

“They have won against Bangladesh. They are playing good cricket. It’s good for us and we cannot take anything for granted. It’s about the process,” he stated.

“Regardless of the team we are facing, we always make sure we do things right so that we end up getting the right results. That will once again be our focus as a team,” he stated.

The first ODI between India and Zimbabwe is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 18 at Harare Sports Club.

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