Vikrant Shekhawat : Aug 18, 2022, 10:49 PM
IND vs ZIM | India captain KL Rahul seemed impressed with his bowling unit, which played a key role in helping Zimbabwe wrap up a 200-run victory in the first ODI on Thursday by 10 wickets. Rahul, returning to international cricket after more than six months, decided to continue opening the innings with the pair of Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan, who shared an unbroken 192-run stand to hand the team an easy victory. Captain Rahul said after the match, "Getting the wicket was very important. There was also swing and seam movement. But it was good to see the bowlers bowling disciplined by putting the ball in the right places. ,Three players in the playing XI, Rahul, Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Yadav, were making a comeback after a long 'rehab'. Rahul said, "I am on the field, what can be better than this and I am happy. We play a lot of cricket and injuries will always be a part of it. ,He said, “It is difficult to stay away from the game. It gets boring to do rehabilitation and all that stuff every day. Would rather play 365 days than spend time with the physio. It is great for some of us players to be back in the Indian dressing room. ,After a gap of six months, fast bowler Chahar, playing international cricket, took three wickets for 27 runs in his return. Talking about starting his spell, he said, "When you are playing an international match after six and a half months, you are always nervous. Before coming here, I played four-five practice matches. But you want to do well in playing for the country, mind and body were not working together. ,Dhawan, on the other hand, is enjoying his great rhythm in one-day cricket and his partnership with Gill has been very good. After scoring an unbeaten 81 in 113 balls, Dhawan said, "I am enjoying batting with the young (Gill) player which makes me feel like a young man too. I am enjoying the consistency from West Indies itself. I know once I get to the crease, I can tear down bowlers. ,"I wanted to rotate the strike and the plan was to get runs quickly. I have a good rhythm with Gill. The way he bats and timings the ball is great to see. He has shown consistency in converting half-centuries into big half-centuries. ,