IND vs ZIM 2022: [WATCH] “Deepak Chahar wicket mat le, KL Rahul ka batting dekhna hai”- Fans react in 1st ODI vs Zimbabwe

KL Rahul last played for India in February. [Pic courtesy: BCCI]

Deepak Chahar wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe's batting lineup after returning to international cricket in the first ODI at Harare Sports Club. The swing king quickly impressed everyone in his opening spell with three wickets in seven overs.

The CSK seamer destroyed Zimbabwe's top order like a house of cards. He removed openers Innocent Kaia (4) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (8) and No.3 batter Wesley Madhere (5) in the first few overs. His spell saw the hosts reduced to 31/4 after 10.1 overs with the top three batters back in the pavilion.

A section of fans in the stadium pleaded to Chahar to let Zimbabwe score some runs to watch stand-in captain KL Rahul bat in his comeback match after over six months.

In a video shared on Twitter, a fan said:

“Deepak Chahar wicket mat le, KL Rahul ka batting dekhna hai.” (Deepak Chahar, please don’t take wickets, we want to watch KL Rahul bat.)

Fans at the Harare sports club pleading to Deepak Chahar to not take any more wickets, as they want to see some score on the board so that they can watch KL bat later in the day. #ZIMvIND https://t.co/shpKF14DmE

KL Rahul has played only six matches in the last 36 white-ball games for India

KL Rahul is making a comeback to international cricket after six months. He had last played for Men in Blue in an ODI against West Indies on February 9, where he scored 49 runs.

The opening batter suffered a knee injury while COVID-19 further delayed his return to the Indian cricket team. He missed several games including the home T20Is against South Africa and away matches in England and West Indies.

Ahead of the ODI series, KL Rahul said that he felt special about returning to Zimbabwe after making his debut in the African nation in 2016. Speaking to reporters, he said:

"I feel really special (to be returning to Harare as a captain). My ODI and T20I debut happened here. I got a hundred in my first ODI. I have great memories here and am hoping to add some more to it. Coming back here as a skipper feels great, especially when you look back at your debut. You see how much you have grown as a player and person. I am hoping to play some good cricket here.”

The right-handed batter will be looking to get into the groove ahead of the Asia Cup, which will be held later this month. India will be playing their opening match against arch-rivals Pakistan on August 28 in Dubai.

India and Zimbabwe have playing each other since 1983. This is the first gap of more than 5 years between the IND-ZIM international encounters.

The last time India and Zimbabwe faced in ODIs, the current Indian captain KL Rahul made his debut (in 2016).
#ZIMvIND

Deepak Chahar delighted to make a comeback after 'long vacation'

Meanwhile, Chahar was happy to make his comeback after recovering from a hamstring injury, which also kept him out of IPL 2022. He last played a T20I match for India in February against West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

"It was a long vacation for me. Now fully fit and back. Tough competition in the Indian team and it has been high since I started playing. If I get an opportunity, I can do the job with the new ball and bat in the lower order.”