Harare, July 21 (IANS) Zimbabwe skipper Sikandar Raza has dismissed the thought of the 2026 T20 World Cup champions India being favourites in the upcoming three-match T20I series, saying the contest will not be one-sided and both teams will have an equal chance of emerging victorious.
Zimbabwe are hosting the Shreyas Iyer-led side, with all three matches of the series to be held at the Harare Sports Club. The first match will be played on Thursday.
India is coming to the contest after a poor show against Ireland and England. Under the new captain, Iyer, the team endured a 0-2 T20I series defeat to Ireland in Belfast before going down 0-4 in the five-match T20I series against England. India didn’t impress in ODIs either as they lost the series by 2-1 under the captaincy of Shubman Gill.
“Both countries will have an equal chance in this series. But one thing I am very sure about is that because Zimbabwe has been playing very consistent and very entertaining cricket, I can say this for sure that this series will be very entertaining. I think, as far as winning or losing is concerned, which is important for both countries, I think both countries have an equal chance to win the series.” Raza told Star Sports.
According to Raza, just like India, Zimbabwe is also going through a transition phase, which will make the series interesting.
“Yes, I think India is also going through a transition, and I think to some extent you’ll see Zimbabwe is also going to have a little bit of transition. I don’t see it will be a one-sided series,” he added.
India and Zimbabwe have played each other ten times in T20Is. India leads the head-to-head record with 7 wins. Zimbabwe has won 3 matches. The last T20I encounter between the two teams took place on February 26, 2026, during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where India defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs.
–IANS
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