Sundaymail Editor
Don Makanyanga
Sports Reporter
CHEVRONS coach Lalchand Rajput insists a lot will be at stake when Zimbabwe face Bangladesh in a once-off Test match and six limited-overs games beginning on Wednesday at Harare Sports Club.
Rajput is banking on home advantage as Zimbabwe, who are 11th and four places behind the cut-off slot for the 2023 World Cup Super League, plot to gun down the Tigers.
The Chevrons will get their series against Bangladesh underway with the Test match on Wednesday before playing three 2023 World Cup qualifying ODIs from July 16-20.
The two sides will then round of the series with three T20I matches from July 23-27.
“It is exciting that we will be playing Bangladesh at home. We have an advantage over the visiting team and I am sure our players know the pitch very well and the conditions which will suit us.
“We are looking forward to the series. This is not just a series, there is a lot at stake for us.
“We would want to win the Test as it will help us to move up the ranking and a win in the ODIs will definitely make our position to qualify for the Super League stronger,” said Rajput.
Despite Bangladesh roping in two specialists — Ashwell Prince and spin guru Rangana Herath for their batting and bowling — Rajput is not moved.
Instead, he has faith in his players and technical staff.
“Bangladesh has good money to spend on specialised coaches and has a good number of support staff. On the contrary, we have technical staff who are there for a long period of time who understand the players’ mindset better as they have been working with them.
“If you have technical staff changing too often, sometimes players get confused as every coach has his own style of functioning, and Bangladesh has changed too much in the last couple of months.
“I am a positive person and always believe that if we play to our potential, we will definitely beat Bangladesh and collect some points from these games,” he said.
As he welcomes the return of some of the senior players back to the squad, Rajput revealed that he will be throwing in some upcoming stars during the series.
“I am a firm believer of throwing in youngsters who have done well and I try to balance that with seniors and youth.
“There is exciting young talent like Milton Shumba, Myers Dion, Kudakwashe Kaitano, so this will be a great opportunity for them to showcase their talent on the big screen.
“For shorter format, you need young legs who are more electrifying on the field, so it’s important to have a good mix of both,” he said.
With the incorporation of youngsters, the Chevrons coach has called on senior players to lead from the front.
“It’s good to see the senior guys back in the team and hope they take responsibility and take the juniors alongside so that they perform to their best ability and win games for us.”
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