'I want Sikandar to lead from the front': Zimbabwe coach Sammons

I think we’re very fortunate to have a player like Sikandar Raza leading the side.

Sikandar Raza’s vast experience of playing in various T20 leagues would certainly come in handy for an inexperienced Zimbabwe outfit, which would like to punch above its weight against a talented Indian side full of IPL performers, head coach Justin Sammons said ahead of five-match series, starting Saturday.

“I think we’re very fortunate to have a player like Sikandar Raza leading the side. He brings great experience, we want him to lead from the front. He’s been superb in the changing room and taking the players under his wing. We want his bat to do the talking as well as his bowling,” Sammons told PTI from Harare.

Justin Sammons

Over the years, Indian selectors have always rested its top players during the summer months when the team tours the African nation where a five-match T20I series’ broadcast rights helps in keeping the host country’s cricket board in good health and best of spirits.

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Even then three players from the T20 World Cup-winning squad—Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are expected to be available from the third game of the series and all four standbys, including skipper Shubman Gill are part of the set-up, taking the count up to seven.

“This is an opportunity for this team to do that and to showcase their skills against the best and obviously to get an understanding of where they’re at,” said Sammons, who was South Africa’s batting consultant from 2021 to 2023.

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