After the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian men’s cricket team will travel to Zimbabwe to face the Sikandar Raza-led side in a five-match T20I series. The bilateral series between the two teams will start on Saturday (July 6). All five shortest-format matches are scheduled to take place in Harare. India will have a new-look team for the Zimbabwe series because only three players from the T20 World Cup 2024 squad are picked for the upcoming matches under Shubman Gill’s leadership, and they will even miss the first two matches.
The absence of senior players will give a chance to many youngsters, who are picked in the side, to come up with a big show and present a case for a regular place in India’s T20I team.
Here’s a look at six players who are picked in India’s T20I team for the first time for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour:
- Abhishek Sharma: Abhishek Sharma was in red-hot form for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024. The left-handed opening batter scored 484 runs in 16 matches with a strike rate of 204.21. In addition to his batting, the Amritsar-born cricketer also picked up two wickets against the Rajasthan Royals during the second qualifier match played on May 24. After making a big name for himself due to aggressive batting, Abhishek is almost certain to make his T20I debut for India in the upcoming series.
- Riyan Parag: With 573 runs to his name in 16 matches, Rajasthan Royals star Riyan Parag finished as the third leading run scorer in IPL 2024. The former U-19 World Cup winner batted with maturity in the middle overs for the Royals this year and helped them win many matches as well, which is why he was picked in the Indian team for Zimbabwe T20Is. Due to his ability to contribute with the ball and bat in the middle order, there is a high chance that Parag will make his debut for India in the series opener itself, which will be played on Saturday (July 6) in Harare.
- Dhruv Jurel: Dhruv Jurel has played three Tests for India against England earlier this year but is picked in the T20I team for the first time for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe. In the absence of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson (first two T20Is), KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan, Jurel is all set to be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter against Zimbabwe.
- Tushar Deshpande: Pacer Tushar Deshpande has impressed with his performances in the IPL 2023 and 2024 for CSK, because of which he earned a place in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against Zimbabwe. The 29-year-old pacer, who scored a century in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 quarterfinal for Mumbai against Baroda, will be part of the five-man pace attack led by Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar.
- Sai Sudharsan: B Sai Sudharsan made his ODI debut for India in December 2023 against South Africa and scored an unbeaten 55 runs in the first match. He scored 527 runs in 12 matches of IPL 2024 for the Gujarat Titans, but was still ignored for the Zimbabwe T20Is. However, on Tuesday (July 2), he was included in the squad for the first two matches. He will face tough competition from Abhishek Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the opener’s role.
- Harshit Rana: Harshit Rana picked up 19 wickets in 13 matches of IPL 2024 for the Kolkata Knight Riders to play a big role in the Shreyas Iyer-led side’s title win. The 22-year-old Delhi pacer also earned his maiden India T20I call-up on July 2 and will be part of India’s squad for the first two matches against Zimbabwe on July 6 and 7.
India’s squad for the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe: Shubman Gill (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Harshit Rana
India’s squad for the last three T20Is against Zimbabwe: Shubman Gill (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson
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