Indian bowlers haven’t been good enough to get the early breakthroughs which is a big trouble for Virat Kohli and with a player like Elton Chigumbura and Visu Sibanda on the crease, it can be even more challenging as they like to go for big shots even if they are new to the crease. Jaydev Unadkat has been impressive till now but he needs to get the support of Shami Ahmed, who has been roped in the playing eleven to get some early wickets.

Indian batting looks good as most of the batsmen are doing well but the likes of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina haven't been able to adjust themselves to the conditions. They have avoided spending time on the crease and consequently got out without scoring much runs in the first two ODI’s of the series.

Here we bring to you the players to watch out for in the match between India and Zimbabwe.

Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan was a bit scratchy at the start of the innings last time but did well to pile up his third century of his career. He needs to be cautious of the short-balls, as he is not looking much comfortable against the bowling of Vitori, who was beating his bat quite frequently in the last match.

Hamilton Masakadza: Masakadza did well in the last game not just with the bat but with the ball too. He can be very useful as he can apply himself really well but he needs to make sure that apart from rotating the strikes, he should come up with odd boundary to put some pressure on the opposition captain.

Suresh Raina: Raina is going through a very lean patch. In 12 matches that he has played this season, he averages just 18. He has been living with the tag of “good for sub-continent only” player, because of his just one half-century outside the sub-continent out of the 28 half-centuries he has scored till now.

Brian Vitori: Vitori was stunning and what made him a nightmare was his pace. He comes up with great intensity and keeps quizzing the batsmen with his usual in-swingers. He can move the ball both ways and especially when it comes to right-handers, he is a treat to watch. India needs to be wary of him as he keeps searching for the wickets with his consistent stump to stump length.

Rohit Sharma: Sharma hasn’t been looking as impressive as he was in West Indies few weeks back. He is not waiting for the delivery and playing it from too far from the body because of which he gets caught at slips. This series is a perfect opportunity for him to seal his berth for the South Africa tour which will start in couple of months time.

Visu Sibanda: Sibanda gave a blistering start in the second ODI of the series and can make great deal of difference with such kind of batting. The way he kept smacking Vinay Kumar on his short-balls was an eye-soother. He can be the real deal for his captain.

Jaydev Unadkat: Unadkat has been the backbone of the Indian bowling. His economical spells which were clubbed with wickets has made some significant difference in the match. His ability to fulfil the expectations of his captain is somewhat other bowlers in the team should also learn from him. Unadkat just needs to continue with his good work.

Elton Chigumbura: Chigumbura can be promoted up the order as he has that courage to take calculated risks in tough situations. He scored 46 runs off 58 balls in the last encounter and was decent with the ball too. His captain surely needs to back this talented batsman if he wants his team to win atleast one of the ODI’s of this series.

Shami Ahmed: Ahmed has failed to deliver in this series. He has not been as impressive as he was in India when he played England and Pakistan almost six months back. He has been more on a shorter side, especially in the slog overs which has cost Indian team quite a few boundaries. Moreover, the biggest reason to have in Indian squad is ability to provide early breakthroughs which he hasn’t done so far.

Brendon Taylor: Taylor is in line of fire after dropping a catch and getting run-out in worst possible manner. He hasn’t done anything that can inspire his teammates and is now under some serious pressure. The biggest problem in the last match for his team was the over rate . His captaincy has been very ordinary till now and he needs to show some intent to get his side on the right track.

By Amit Chopra,

Indian Sports News Network