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On Monday (June 24), the BCCI revealed the India squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, scheduled for next month. As anticipated, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has opted for a youthful squad for this tour. Given the ongoing T20 World Cup, it was widely expected that many regular members of the World Cup squad would be rested for the Zimbabwe series. Consequently, Shubman Gill has been appointed as the captain for the upcoming series, as senior players like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya will be taking a break.
Last year, Pandya and Suryakumar had taken charge of the team in T20Is in the absence of Rohit, but with neither of them included in the Zimbabwe squad, Gill has been entrusted with the leadership role. Although Gill has not previously captained the Indian team, he has leadership experience from earlier this year when he led the Gujarat Titans in the IPL.
India’s squad for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe reflects a significant departure from the T20 World Cup squad, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson retained. Notably, neither Jaiswal nor Samson has had playing time in the ongoing tournament, making their inclusion in the Zimbabwe tour squad somewhat unexpected.
The selectors have also introduced several newcomers to the international arena, including Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande. These players earned their maiden call-ups on the back of impressive performances during this year’s IPL.
The India vs Zimbabwe series is scheduled to take place from July 6 to 14, with all matches set to be held in Harare.
Schedule for India’s tour of Zimbabwe in 2024:
1st 06-July | Saturday | Zimbabwe vs India | Harare Sports Club | 1:00 PM (4:30 PM IST)
2nd 07-July | Sunday | Zimbabwe vs India | Harare Sports Club | 1:00 PM (4:30 PM IST)
3rd 10-July | Wednesday | Zimbabwe vs India | Harare Sports Club | 1:00 PM (4:30 PM IST)
4th 13-July | Saturday | Zimbabwe vs India | Harare Sports Club | 1:00 PM (4:30 PM IST)
5th 14-July | Sunday | Zimbabwe vs India | Harare Sports Club | 1:00 PM (4:30 PM IST)
India squad for Zimbabwe series:
Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.
