IND vs ZIM 2022: 3 reasons why the Zimbabwe tour is good news for India

It's a packed cricket calendar for India. The ongoing three-match ODI series against the West Indies will be followed by a T20I leg, after which they jet off to Harare to play a three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.

The Asia Cup comes next followed by playing more T20Is against Australia and South Africa to prepare for the ICC T20 World Cup later in the year. Next up, a tour to New Zealand beckons where they play three T20IS and as many ODIs to prepare for the 2023 World Cup.

While the schedule looks tight and comes with pros and cons, it's safe to assume that the former outweighs the disadvantages. First up is the tour to Zimbabwe starting on August 18. Ahead of the ODI series clash, we look at three reasons why the tourney is in fact good news for India.

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#1 India has another opportunity to test their bench

India are one of the teams that boasts quality bench strength, and they aptly demonstrated this by beating West Indies 2-0 in the ongoing three-match ODI series.

The good news came in the form of Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Mohammed Siraj — all stepping up and executing their roles to near perfection in the absence of big names.

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#2 Additional rest for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and game time for returning players

The tour may see India's bench contingent in action again. This would also mean additional rest for India's big guns, while also giving chances for returning players like KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja to get some game time under their belt. Irrespective of the result, the visitors will look to see new faces make their mark.

The tour also provides more opportunities for players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh and Ishan Kishan to showcase their skills and make a case for themselves ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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#3 Put their 2023 World Cup plans in motion

In what comes off as a packed calendar, the team will think long-term as they look to get their best playing XI in the 2023 World Cup. The preparations, safe to say, have begun with the Windies tour itself, which hints at embracing an attacking brand of cricket.

Rahul Dravid and the think-tank will be eager to tick all the boxes as they prepare for the challenge they last vaulted in 2011. The Zimbabwe tour serves as the perfect opportunity to execute all the plans they have on paper.