NOT ROHIT SHARMA OR HARDIK PANDYA! 24-YEAR-OLD BATSMAN TO LEAD INDIA IN T20I SERIES AGAINST ZIMBABWE
Team India will not have a long break after its success in the 2024 T20 World Cup and the second-string squad will square off against Zimbabwe in five T20Is. The five matches will be played on July 6, 7, 10, 13 and 14. The selectors have included number of new faces in the team and only three players who were part of the T20 WC-winning team will tour Zimbabwe.
India also have a new captain for the series. Rohit Sharma retired from T20I cricket after the 2024 T20 World Cup while Hardik Pandya has been rested for the series. With Suryakumar Yadav also getting a rest for the series, the selectors handed captaincy to Shubman Gill.
The 24-year-old has been included in the leadership group for the first time and will make his captaincy debut against Zimbabwe. Shubman has plenty of experience at different levels. He was Prithvi Shaw's deputy in the 2018 U19 World Cup, which India won.
Related News |Shubman has captained Punjab in domestic cricket. He has also done captaincy in the Deodhar Trophy. Before IPL 2024, Shubman replaced Hardik Pandya as the captain of Gujarat Titans.
A legend in the making, Shubman is expected to become India's all-format captain in future and he will start his journey against Zimbabwe. Shubman has 335 runs in 14 T20Is. His tally includes one century and a half-century.
The right-handed batsman was in contention to make it to the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup but missed out. He was named in the list of reserve players along with Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan. Shubman was released from the squad after the USA leg of the T20 WC. India haven't named any vice-captain for the series.
Related News |Not World Cup Hero Hardik Pandya, Sehwag's Surprise Pick To Replace Rohit Sharma As Captain In T20Is
BCCI makes three changes in squad
The BCCI made three changes in the squad for the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe. Harshit Rana, Jitesh Sharma and Sai Sudharsan were added to the squad for the first two matches in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube.
The three players are still in Barbados. They will return to India and then fly to Zimbabwe for the last three T20Is. Yashasvi and Samson remained on the bench in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Shivam was originally rested for the Zimbabwe tour. He later replaced all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out due to an injury. Nitish earned his maiden India call-up for the Zimbabwe tour.
2024-07-02T10:21:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd