NEWS
Follow UsA new-look India will take on Zimbabwe in the first T20 International (T20I) at the Harare Sports Club on July 6 (Saturday), under the leadershup of Shubman Gill. While the celebrations continue in the nation following India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph under Rohit Sharma, a new India will look to make an impression on the other side of the world.
Zimbabwe, who did not qualify for the T20 World Cup, will hope to get off to the the best of starts, after a disappointing few months. Sikandar Raza and new head coach Justin Sammons will have a massive role to play in turning Zimbabwe's fortunes around.
Speaking ahead of the first T20I, Sammons praised the Indian youngsters, singling out Gill as a superb cricketer.
"Shubman is a superb cricketer, I remember first seeing Shubman, I think I was with the Proteas. We were playing that Test series against India. I think it was December 2021. He didn't get any game time there, but you could see his work ethic and how professional he was in the way he went about his business in the nets during that Test series was something exciting to watch. And like I say, his record speaks for itself," Sammons said.
Sammons also termed Riyan Parag, who had a breakthrough Indian Premier League (IPL) season recently as a dangerous player. Parag finished as the third-highest run-getter in the tournament with 573 runs at 52.09 and a strike rate of close to 150, which included as many as four fifties in 14 innings.
"We can see how dangerous Riyan Parag is. He had a great IPL, showed his worth there. Again, another exciting prospect for India. Again, it's another opportunity for our guys to test themselves against the best," Sammons further added.
India and Zimbabwe will clash in back-to-back T20Is on July 6 (Saturday) and July 7 (Sunday), both in Harare.
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