Blessing Muzarabani warns India captain Shubman Gill; spices up the India vs Zimbabwe series

Zimbabwe pacer Blessing Muzarabani has expressed his excitement about the upcoming five-match T20I series against India, which is set to kick off on July 6 in Harare. Muzarabani stressed that he doesn’t want any bunnies in the T20I series, but dismissing Shubman Gill would be a significant achievement, given how he is one of the most promising talents in the world.

Gill will be leading the young Indian cricket team in his first captaincy assignment with the national side in the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. The right-handed batter is expected to be the cornerstone of India's batting lineup during the T20I series in Harare.

I do give Shubman Gill a lot of respect with the ball: Blessing Muzarabani

On being asked if he would specifically target India’s stand-in skipper, the Zimbabwe pacer acknowledged Gill’s reputation and contributions to international cricket. However, Muzarabani emphasized that he approaches each wicket as it comes rather than focusing on any particular player, as his main goal is to help Zimbabwe win the T20I series against Team India.

Blessing Muzarabani was quoted as saying by India Today: “I think I'm a bit different from probably some of the other bowlers. I do give Shubman Gill a lot of respect because he's already performed well in international cricket. He's actually a big name in the cricket world. But as for me, I just take every wicket as it comes, actually. So, I don't really look at any players and want to make any bunnies or anything like that.”

Muzarabani is aiming to contribute to Zimbabwe's success in the home T20Is by fulfilling his role, regardless of the names he will face on the field. However, he recognized Gill's talent and status, but his priority remains executing his team's strategy and winning matches for Zimbabwe.

The goal is to win the game for Zimbabwe: Blessing Muzarabani

He signed off by saying, “The goal is to win the game for Zimbabwe. Either take a wicket or don't take the wicket. So, it's just all about us as a team and trying to do what's required for me to win the game. So, I'm not really looking at the names. Either I get them out or I don't. If I get them out, it's good for the team. So that's just how I look at it. But, of course, Shubman is a good player. It'd be really nice to get him out.”

Notably, Harare will be hosting its first T20I in 2024 with the home series opener against the Men in Blue. However, Harare will be the venue for all five T20Is against India. In this venue, the first-inning scores have been modest, with only five out of the last 12 T20I matches seeing over 150 runs.

In these T20I matches, spinners performed exceptionally well than the fast bowlers, taking 69 wickets at an average of 19.71 and an economy rate of 6.6, compared to the pacers, who have taken 80 wickets at an average of 25.92 and an economy rate of 7.82 in Harare. The weather forecast is favorable for the first T20I, with no rain expected and temperatures in the mid-20s Celsius.