3 selection calls India made in the 1st ODI vs Zimbabwe and what they could mean

Team India's tour of Zimbabwe began on expected lines as the visitors coasted to a 10-wicket victory in the first ODI. Three-wicket hauls from Deepak Chahar, Axar Patel and Prasidh Krishna set up a chase of 190, with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill scaling the target down with imperious ease.

India will have the opportunity to build on their promising display and seal the three-match series in the second ODI, to be played on Saturday, August 20. They aren't expected to make too many changes to the playing XI, which gave a few clear indications of the direction they intend to take in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup.

Here are three selection calls India made in the first ODI and what they could mean.

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#3 India chose not to hand Rahul Tripathi a debut

Northamptonshire v India - T20 Tour Match

Rahul Tripathi was part of India's T20I squad for their Ireland tour, and although he made a few appearances as a substitute fielder, he is yet to make his international debut. Having been named in the ODI squad for the first time, Tripathi was in the mix to earn his maiden cap for the country.

However, the team management decided to place faith in some of the players they have already backed in the past, even at the cost of playing them out of position. The team sheet had Ishan Kishan slated to come in at No. 3, with Deepak Hooda and Sanju Samson being part of the middle order.

It was a clear sign from India that they're going to give the likes of Kishan, Samson and Hooda as many opportunities as possible to make their mark across various roles. The pecking order system has been followed, with Tripathi clearly not as high on the list as the others. This was a fairly understandable call from the management, although they need to be careful not to shuffle their batters around too much without a clear plan.

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#2 Prasidh Krishna was picked over Avesh Khan

England v India - 1st Royal London Series One Day International

Avesh Khan had a nightmare outing on his ODI debut as he leaked 54 runs in six overs and failed to pick up a wicket. The fast bowler is part of India's squad for the Asia Cup, which will commence in the UAE at the end of this month. So despite his poor debut performance, he was in line to be picked ahead of Prasidh Krishna to get some gametime ahead of the continental tournament.

But, understandably, Prasidh got the nod. The Karnataka-born seamer has made a decent start to his ODI career, having picked up crucial wickets in the middle overs with his hit-the-deck style of bowling. He produced the goods in the first ODI as well, scalping three crucial wickets and helping India restrict Zimbabwe to a sub-200 score.

India are clear about the distinction between the T20I and ODI formats, which is something they will need to be careful about in the near future. The T20 and ODI World Cups aren't far apart, and identifying the right personnel will be paramount.

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#1 Shubman Gill retained his opening slot even though KL Rahul returned

England v India - Fifth LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Five

KL Rahul has a better average and strike rate at No. 5 than any other batting position in ODI cricket, but he has often moved around the order. The stand-in Indian skipper was expected to open the batting alongside Dhawan once it was announced that he would be part of the squad for the Zimbabwe series, but he and the team management stuck to their guns by opening with Shubman Gill.

The team sheet had Rahul at No. 4 as Gill and Dhawan continued from where they left off against the West Indies. This was a welcome sight for most fans, who strongly believe that Rahul is best suited to the middle order in ODI cricket. Not only does the 30-year-old witness a significant drop in strike rate at the top of the order, but a few of India's other middle-order options also haven't covered themselves in glory.