Deepak Chahar, who took three wickets in the first ODI against Zimbabwe, was not named in the Indian cricket team playing XI for the second ODI. With the T20 World Cup in two months’ time, Chahar is one of the players whose performance is expected to be closely watched because of his ability to swing the ball. He has just recovered from injury and is hoping for a good show in the comng times. “Every time you make a comeback, it is important for any player to score runs, and take wickets. I was out with an injury for almost six months so I was looking for an opportunity to come and perform,” Chahar said after the first ODI

“I knew I will be making my comeback in this series, I played all the practice games, and I was bowling more than six overs. The day I started bowling, the first session I bowled was six overs.”

While Chahar was not included for the second ODI, he met with fans on the sidelines.

Watch: Deepak Chahar entertains fans

In the second ODI, pacer Shardul Thakur snapped three wickets as India dismissed hosts Zimbabwe for 161 on Saturday. Thakur, who came in place of Chahar, was the pick of the bowlers for India as he finished with figures of 3 for 38 in seven overs. All other Indian bowlers picked a wicket each.

Sean Williams top scored for the home team with a run-a-ball 42. Ryan Burl also contributed with an unbeaten 39. India lead the three-match series 1-0.

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Brief Scores: Zimbabwe: 161 all out in 38.1 overs (Sean Williams 42, Ryan Burl 39 not out; Shardul Thakur 3/38).

With PTI inputs