After the completion of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian cricket team will travel to Zimbabwe to play in the five-match T20I series, starting from July 6. BCCI has announced the 15-member Indian squad for the Zimbabwe tour, appointing Shubman Gill as the new T20I captain in the absence of the captain Rohit Sharma and the vice-captain Hardik Pandya.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at India’s probable playing XI versus Zimbabwe for the five-match T20I series.
Openers: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal
Shubman Gill, who is appointed as the new captain of the Indian cricket team, will be opening the batting in the Zimbabwe series after missing out on making the T20 World Cup 2024 main squad. Yashasvi Jaiswal is currently a part of the Indian cricket team in the Caribbean, but he has yet to get a game at the ongoing ICC event, which prompted the selectors to pick him for the Zimbabwe tour.
Middle Order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (wk), Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who captained India to the Asian Games gold medal in 2023, hasn’t played many T20Is since then, due to injury, but his inclusion will add to the quality of the Indian batting lineup at the top of the order in the Zimbabwe series. Sanju Samson is also a part of the Indian squad in the T20 World Cup 2024 currently, and he will be taking the gloves for the team in the T20Is against Zimbabwe.
Riyan Parag set the cricketing world alight with his consistent performances with the bat in the recently concluded IPL 2024, prompting the selectors to pick him for the first time in the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe tour. Rinku Singh is a travelling reserve in the Indian T20 World Cup 2024 squad
Lower Middle Order: Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar
Nitish Kumar Reddy impressed one and all with his all-round skills in the IPL 2024, getting fast-tracked into the Indian T20I setup for the tour to Zimbabwe. Washington Sundar has had a stop-start international career in all formats of the game for India, but he will be looking to make amends in the upcoming Zimbabwean tour.
Tailenders: Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed
Ravi Bishnoi missed out on the trip to the USA and the Caribbean to play in the T20 World Cup 2024 for India, but the selectors have picked him for the Zimbabwe T20I series after a decent IPL 2024 season. Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed are the travelling reserves in the Indian T20 World Cup 2024 squad, and they will be taking the responsibility of bowling with the new ball in the death overs against Zimbabwe in the upcoming T20I series.