5 players for whom the India-Zimbabwe series is crucial

A second-string side led by Ajinkya Rahane has been selected for India's tour of Zimbabwe where the teams will play three ODIs and two T20s. Key members of the side like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, ODI captain MS Dhoni and Test captain Virat Kohli have been rested for the tour.Unhappiness with India's performance against Bangladesh in the recently concluded tour was apparent among the selectors and it was only expected that a few changes would be made.The selectors also made it clear that some of the players have been picked in the squad as a reward for their good performances keeping in mind the 2016 ICC World Twemty20. This tour will be therefore a huge test for this young squad.Good performances are bound to get them noticed and might just be the career-defining moment for most of them. Let us look at five players for whom the tour will be especially crucial.

#5 Stuart Binny

Binny could be the answer to India’s ‘number 7’ woes

Hailed as India's most promising all-rounder when he burst onto the scene in the now defunct Indian Cricket League in 2007, Stuart Binny has failed to live up to the name. A string of good performances in the IPL since then and especially in the domestic circuit where he has scored heavily at a healthy strike-rate has ensured his place in the Indian squad.

But Binny has been somewhat of an enigma and his performances have largely failed to impress the selectors so far. His unforgettable spell of 6 for 4 against Bangladesh where he single-handedly won India the match will be etched in everyone's memory. It was believed that if Binny would be the fifth bowling option and bat at number seven, India's search for a genuine all-rounder especially on foreign soil had come to an end

But Binny has never been able to replicate that kind of a performance again and has failed to cement his place in the side. Even in the 2015 World Cup where Binny was picked as a genuine all-rounder who could swing the ball, Binny failed to get a single game. This seems to be the last chance for him to impress the selectors.

#4 Robin Uthappa

Can Uthappa become Dhoni’s long term successor?

The selectors have surprised one and all by refusing to pick a specialist keeper in the 15-man squad. Kedhar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu can do the job but Uthappa is the only one out of these three who is a regular keeper for his IPL side.

Uthappa has been out of favour for a long time now. His recall to the national side is slightly baffling when specialist wicket-keeper batsmen like Sanju Samson, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha and Dinesh Karthik have done well at the domestic level and in the IPL.

He seems to have been favoured over all of them keeping in mind his big-hitting ability - a sign that the selectors have the ICC World Twemty20 on their mind. But with Sanju Samson and Wriddhiman Saha having exceptionally well in the IPL, they will be waiting in the wings. Uthappa must grab this opportunity with both hands and score big on this tour if he has to harbour any dreams of retaining his place in the side.

#3 Ambati Rayudu

Rayudu should look to cement his spot in the playing XI

MS Dhoni has recently hinted that Ambati Rayudu could be a successful player at number five in ODIs because he can rotate the strike and score at a decent pace. If Dhoni continues to bat at number four as he has recently started to do, he would want some solidity in the lower-middle order after him which is why he has preferred Rayudu to bat after him.

Rayudu's inclusion has been hailed by quite a few players who feel that he is finally getting what he deserves rather late in his career. The likes of Raina, Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Rp Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan and VRV Singh, who played under Rayudu's captaincy in the U-19 level, have all gone on to play for India.

He has scored heavily at the domestic level but has mysteriously been continued to be ignored by the national selectors. He has also done well in the few opportunities he has got at the international level.

Rayudu's inclusion in the team at the behest of Rahane in the Bangladesh series became the fodder for much controversy. Rahane will be the captain for the Zimbabwe tour and with little doubt about his potential, it will be difficult to keep him out of the ODI side for long in the tournaments that will follow later. To cement his place in the side, Rayudu must replicate his domestic form and score heavily.

#2 Harbhajan Singh

Bhajji recently made a Test comeback

Harbhajan Singh who was recalled to the Test side earlier this month has been picked for the limited-overs format after a period of three years. Bhajji seems to have been rewarded for his performances in the IPL this year where he finished as the second highest wicket-taker for the Mumbai Indians.

Though it has not been a fairytale comeback for him in the Test series against Bangladesh, the fact of him making it back to the side was nothing short of remarkable. He was believed to have lost his ability to run through oppositions and there was a time when his international career seemed to have been over.

The poor form of Ravindra Jadeja and the failure of any other spinner to step up to bowl in tandem with Ashwin might well have been the contributing factor as well.

The fact that Harbhajan might have been picked just after a good IPL season suggests that the selectors believe that his experience and good economy might be a crucial option to have in the ICC World Twenty20 next year.

But the turbanator should perform well in the series and repay the faith the selectors have put in him. If he gets dropped again at this age, he will find it very difficult to force his way back.

#1 Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane will have to deal with captaincy apart from trying to impress one and all with the bat

Ever since Ajinkya Rahane was dropped to make way for Ambati Rayudu in the Bangladesh series, there has been a huge uproar from many quarters. Rahane has been considered to be the one of the most talented players who can take Indian cricket forward for quite some time now. His unceremonious exclusion from the side naturally raked up a controversy.

Adding fuel to the fire were Dhoni's extraordinary assertions in the post-match press conference where he said that Rahane struggles to bat in the middle order when there is a lack of pace. Dhoni preferred Rayudu to bat after him and said Rahane will have to wait for his turn. From an integral part of the middle order, Rahane seemed to have inexplicably fallen down the pecking order to become the second choice opener for the side.

The plot seemed to thicken when Rahane was made the captain for the Zimbabwe series. The decision came as a bolt from the blue and Rahane confessed that he himself was surprised by the decision.

It is his turn now to vindicate the decision of the selectors and score big runs to lead by example. Moreover, this is also his best chance to score runs while batting in the middle order and prove Dhoni wrong. With the captain expressing his desire to bat at number four and Rayudu having been preferred after him, it is imperative that Rahane does well in the series to reclaim his spot when the skipper returns to the team. A good series with the bat will make it difficult for Dhoni to drop him.