Gill to lead India against Zimbabwe; Parag and Abhishek secure maiden call-up

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named a 15-member squad that will tour Zimbabwe in the first week of July 2024. The five-T20I series will begin on July 06 and last until July 14. Shubman Gill, who led Gujarat Giants in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will captain the Indian squad, which is full of players who proved their mettle in the recently completed IPL season. 

Nitish Reddy's selection comes after a highly successful IPL season, where he earned the Emerging Player of the Year award. His right-arm medium-pace also provides bowling options to the team, and he is already being developed as a potential long-term successor to Hardik Pandya. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Riyan Parag, and Sanju Samson were the second, third, and fourth-highest Indian run scorers of the season. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma astonished everyone with his high strike rate (484 runs @204.2) throughout the season and rightfully earned a place in the squad.

Apart from them, Khaleel Ahmed, who is part of the T20 World Cup 2024 reserves, will also be on the flight to Zimbabwe after the World Cup. Avesh Khan and Rinku Singh will also join him from the reserves.  

Sanju Samson is the main wicketkeeper among the 15 members selected, with Rishabh Pant rested for the tour. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar, who is returning after a long injury hiatus, and Ravi Bishnoi are the two spinners.

Notably, the BCCI have decided to rest Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and most other senior players from this tour who are currently of part of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

Other significant exclusions from the squad include left-handed batter Tilak Varma, who was in the T20 scheme of things for India until very recently, right-arm pacer Harshit Rana, who picked 19 wickets @20.2 in IPL 2024, left-arm pacer T Natarajan (19 wickets @24.5), and leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The BCCI press release did not provide information regarding these omissions. 

All five T20Is, scheduled for July 06, 07, 10, 13, and 14, will be played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. Sony Sports Network will telecast the games. 

India’s squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe: 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.

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