(AP Photo)
India’s T20I squad scheduled for five matches against Zimbabwe is expected to depart for Zimbabwe on July 1. The 15-member squad will convene directly in Mumbai following the conclusion of the High-Performance Camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, which is ending today.
Several players from the camp have already headed to Chennai for the ongoing first division league, while others are set to return home on Tuesday. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel, who are part of India’s T20I squad, left the NCA over the weekend and are likely to spend about a week at Rajasthan Royals’ high-performance center in Talegaon.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Khaleel Ahmed will finalize their travel plans after India’s T20 World Cup campaign ends. If the Men in Blue reach the final on June 29, these players are expected to travel directly from the West Indies to Zimbabwe.
Regarding captain Shubman Gill, it is understood that he has not returned to India yet and is likely to join the squad directly in Zimbabwe. While there could still be some adjustments to the travel arrangements, currently, it appears unlikely that he will return to the country.
Gill, aged 24, was initially part of the four travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup but was released along with Avesh Khan after the India vs Canada match in Florida. While Avesh returned home, Gill remained in the US for commercial commitments and was recently seen at Nike headquarters in Oregon.
The revamped Indian team will play all five T20Is of their Zimbabwe tour in Harare.
India T20I squad: Shubman 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
