KL Rahul returns to international cricket after a hiatus of six months. The 30-year-old replaced Shikhar Dhawan as the captain for the 3-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, with the 1st match commencing on 18th August.
Notably, Rahul made his ODI and T20I debut against Zimbabwe in 2016. The second-stringed Indian side in Zimbabwe includes two players who are yet to receive their international caps.
Shahbaz Ahmed, who replaced injured Washington Sundar and Rahul Tripathi, could play their first game.
Meanwhile, former IPL star Paul Valthaty believes it is the right time for Tripathi to make his ODI debut.
The 31-year-old SRH star amassed 413 runs in 14 IPL matches, including three half centuries.
Valthaty believes the Indian squad is full of opening options but lacks middle-order batters. Thus, Tripathi should get a chance.
“They have KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shubhman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Ishan Kishan, but in the middle order, the only options left are Sanju Samson, Deepak Hooda and Rahul Tripathi.”
Tripathi was part of the squad that travelled to Ireland for a two-match T20 series.
“The Indian management likes to experiment but also follows a sequence. Tripathi didn’t play in the previous series. They could give him a chance. His family and dear ones would feel happy to see him fulfil his dreams.”
The former Punjab Kings player believes that Ishan Kishan and Tripathi would feature in the starting XI despite too many opening options.
He said, “If Ishan Kishan and Rahul Tripathi play, they would be batting at 4,5,6.”