india team to Zimbabwe. Photo- X
india team to Zimbabwe. Photo- X

The new-look Indian squad has flown off to Zimbabwe on July 2 for the five-match T20I series. All of the five matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club starting from July 6 onwards.

This will be India’s first match since winning the T20 World Cup against South Africa on July 29. With most of the older players getting much-needed recuperation, Shubman Gill will captain the young side, which will include several fresh faces.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to X to share photos of players departing for Zimbabwe, including Abhishek Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Avesh Khan, and Riyan Parag.

NCA chief Laxman will coach the squad, which includes only three members of India’s World Cup-winning 15. The BCCI has yet to appoint India’s next head coach, who would succeed Rahul Dravid after the former captain’s term concluded with the World Cup.

VVS Laxman was pictured alongside the likes of Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, and Riyan Parag in the post shared by the BCCI.

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Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube are set to join the squad later. Khaleel Ahmed and Rinku Singh, who were in the Caribbean islands as reserve players for India’s World Cup squad, will fly to Zimbabwe alongside Samson, Jaiswal, and Dube.

Dube was not initially a member of this team, but he was introduced to replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy.

New era dawns for India in T20Is after retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja

To compensate for the absence of Jaiswal, Dube, and Samson, BCCI added Jitesh Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, and Harshit Rana to the India squad for the first two T20Is.

The Zimbabwe series will usher in a new era for India’s T20I team, as it prepares for life after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. Following their World Cup victory, all three announced their retirement from the shortest format.

This will be Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande’s first experience with international cricket. They were chosen as a result of their great IPL 2024 performance.

Shubman Gill, who is set to make his captaincy debut for India, will also be under focus. The right-handed opener was left out of India’s T20 World Cup squad and would be hungry to earn the opener’s spot. With Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaiswal, Abhishek, and Samson on the squad, a logjam is predicted at the top of the lineup.

Also Read: Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana And Sai Sudharsan Added To India’s Squad vs Zimbabwe