IND vs ZIM 2022: 3 reasons why Rahul Tripathi may get just one game to play in the series

Rahul Tripathi received his maiden ODI call-up for the Indian side for the three-match series against Zimbabwe. The series begins on August 18 and will be played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare.

Tripath made it to India's T20I squad for the tour of Ireland earlier last month but didn't feature in a single game. The Maharastra batter has been in fine form in recent times, making the most of his opportunities.

Fetching ₹8.25 crore at the IPL auction, he was one of the standout players for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) this season. He's also been in good touch in the domestic season, earning a well-deserved call-up to the side for the one-dayers.

Rahul Tripathi for International cricket,,,,,,it’s time!,,,,

While he's taken a step to the next level, the competition for places only gets tougher from here on. With an abundance of talent in the country, Tripathi might not get too many chances and will have to make the most of the limited opportunities.

On that note, we take a look at three reasons why Rahul Tripathi might only get to play one game in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe.

#1 An abundance of top-order batters

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

BCCI have announced India’s 16-man squad for the ODI tour of Zimbabwe 🇮🇳🏏

🔹 Shikhar Dhawan to lead
🔸 No Virat Kohli or KL Rahul
🔹 Washington Sundar and Deepak Chahar return after injuries

#India #TeamIndia #ZIMvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/jfiOpGfNhl

India are blessed with an embarrassment of riches with high quality batters in their ranks at every level. The team has an abundance of top-order batters in the squad, including the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill, who opened the batting in the series against West Indies.

Apart from that, Ishan Kishan and Ruturaj Gaikwad are also waiting in the ranks to get their opportunity in the side. In that regard, Tripathi might be lower down the pecking order and will have to wait for his chance in the side.

#2 Consistency in team selections might mean Rahul Tripathi will have to wait for his chance

During Rahul Dravid's reign, India haven't been known to tinker with their side too much during a series. While the rest and rotation has taken place from series to series, once a playing XI is selected, the team is happy to persist with the same throughout the series.

We saw this during the series against Ireland and the West Indies. The team hasn't changed personnel from time-to-time and have backed their players for a longer run to give them a proper chance to prove their worth. Avesh Khan in theT20I series against West Indies was perhaps the best example of this consistency in team selection.

#3 The return of KL Rahul

NEWS - KL Rahul cleared to play; set to lead Team India in Zimbabwe.

More details here - bcci.tv/articles/2022/… #TeamIndia https://t.co/1SdIJYu6hv

KL Rahul is returning to the side after an extended absence. He hasn’t played for India since the ODI series against West Indies at home in February this year and missed out on international cricket after the IPL due to a groin injury.

He was ruled out of the recent West Indies series after contracting the COVID-19 virus but has finally returned to the side. In fact, it has been confirmed that he will be leading the side.

Rahul has been batting in the No. 4 slot in the ODI setup and it'll be interesting to see where he bats once he returns to the side. Having said that, his place in the top four is almost certain, which means Tripathi may have to miss out.