Zimbabwe players are naturally disappointed after India tour cancellation, says Lalchand Rajput

As per the Future Tours Programme (FTP), Zimbabwe were originally scheduled to play one Test and three ODIs in India last March, a tour that never took place, although BCCI later negotiated the T20I series with Zimbabwe Cricket. In the wake of Zimbabwe's suspension by ICC, the BCCI didn't wait for the final confirmation about the sport's reinstation in Zimbabwe and replaced them with Sri Lanka, which will be played on January 5, 7 and 10.

“The players were looking forward to the India tour. Our players are naturally disappointed with the development,” Rajput, who has been the coach of the side since last year, told Sportstar from Singapore where the team will play a tri-nation series involving the host nation and Nepal.

“We are now playing tri-nation tournaments and that’s why, we thought that the India tour will be on as well. But we don’t know what exactly happened,” Rajput, who had already coached India once, said.

The Zimbabwe cricket officials are now reinstated following a court order and are waiting for the clarification after the ICC's board meeting in October. If things fall in place, it is unfortunate for the African nation to miss a trip to India, a tour that could have helped them gain some money. Rajput is also concerned by the missed opportunity to face some of the best players in the world.

“Playing against the best team in the world would have helped our players immensely. India has the best bowling unit at the moment and playing against them would have certainly helped us. It is quite unfortunate that we missed out on the opportunity,” Rajput said.

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