IND vs ZIM, 1st T20I: India win toss, opt to bowl; Ashok Sharma debuts

India won the toss and opted to bowl first against Zimbabwe in the first T20I in Harare. Pacer Ashok Sharma makes his debut for the Men in Blue. Captain Shreyas Iyer cited pitch bounce as the reason for his decision.

India won the toss and opted to bowl first against Zimbabwe in the first match of the three-match T20I series at Harare, on Thursday. Pacer Ashok Sharma marks his international debut for the Men in Blue.

After winning the toss, Shreyas Iyer chose to bowl first, expecting some bounce in the pitch based on the practice wickets, though he admitted he was unsure how the surface would actually play since it was his first time at the venue. He praised Zimbabwe for their strong performances over the past couple of years, particularly at the World Cup, highlighting both their batting and bowling. Iyer also confirmed that his team would field three seamers and one spinner.

'Don't know how it's going to play': Shreyas Iyer

"We are going to bowl first. This is my first time here, so I don't know how the wicket is going to play. But looking at the practice wickets and the practice wickets on the side, there was a decent amount of bounce. So definitely, that's one of the aspects. [On if there will be bounce on offer] I don't know how it's going to play, but anticipating it. [On Zimbabwe] Absolutely, they've been playing brilliantly for the last couple of years, especially at the World Cup, the way they played. It was pleasing to the eye. The batsmen and the bowlers executing their strengths. It was amazing. [On the team composition] We're going with three seamers, one spinner," he said at the toss presentation.

India's newly appointed T20I captain, Iyer, endured a difficult start to his leadership stint, with the team suffering a 2-0 series defeat against Ireland followed by a 4-0 loss to England, with one match abandoned due to rain.

'A lot of runs on this wicket': Sikandar Raza

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza said the pitch is unlike the usual Harare Sports Club surface, with some early assistance for the bowlers that he expects to fade quickly. He believes it's a good batting wicket and is hopeful Zimbabwe can post a big total.

"This is not your typical Harare Sports Club wicket, I think. There will be something in the start, but I don't expect it to last too long. I think there are a lot of runs on this wicket and hopefully we can put up those runs on the board," Raza said.

India vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I playing 11

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav.

Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani. (ANI)

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