The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors went with a young side, that has been consisted of the members of the next generations who have gone well in the recent few seasons of the Indian Premier League, under the leadership of Shubman Gill.
The senior men’s cricket team has just earned their second T20 World Cup title, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, getting the better of the South Africa side, with a seven-run margin, where they held their nerve and showed great resilience to make a great comeback in the game, especially towards the end of the innings.
With three senior members of the side- captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja already announced their retirement from the format, this five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe will offer the youngsters a great chance to showcase their talent, while Shubman Gill could aim to become the next India captain in the shortest format of the game.
Shubman Gill aims to be a regular member of India’s T20I team
The India captain Shubman Gill was denied a place in the T20 World Cup squad, after having a poor Indian Premier League in 2024 with the Gujarat Titans, where he captained the side after Hardik Pandya went to Mumbai Indians. It was the first of the three seasons where the Titans failed to reach the final of the competition, having become the champions in 2022 and runners-up in 2023.
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After being avoided in the main squad of the side, he was part of the reserves for the tournament, where he couldn’t get into the main squad, and later was released from the event.
With a long season with so many ODIs and Test awaiting for the Indian team, and having been on the road for many series and the IPL, it was the best time for Shubman Gill to freshen up, as he spent some quality time in New York, before joining the rest of squad in Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
In the squad, he is expected to open with left-handed dashing opener Abhishek Sharma, who playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, managed 484 runs in 16 innings, at an average of 32.26, and a strike rate of over 200, with three fifties.
Shubman Gill, even after having regular struggle in this tournament, finished the IPL 2024, with 426 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of nearly 150, with a couple of fifties and a century, against the Chennai Super Kings.
With a new hurricane delaying the return of the Indian team from Barbados, the BCCI selectors made some changes in the squad, removing Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shivam Dube for the first two of the five T20Is, as they added Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana in the side.
Harshit Ran showed his skills of bowling with pace at any juncture of the game, and picking up wickets to keep his team ahead in the game. Being part of the champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the recent IPL 2024, Rana collected 19 wickets at an economy of nearly nine.
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Riyan Parag is expected to be a vital member in the middle overs too, having made 573 runs, the third most of the tournament, with an average of 52.09, a strike rate of nearly 150, with four half-centuries, and a best score unbeaten 84 runs.
It will be interesting to see how the series pans out for Shubman Gill, and whether he keeps his place when a strong T20I squad will be announced for the Sri Lanka tour.
The first of the five T20I games of the five-match series against Zimbabwe will begin on July 06, at the Harare Sports Club.