Tilak Varma was a big name missing from the 15-member India squad which was announced for the T20I tour of Zimbabwe. India and Zimbabwe will play 5 T20Is between July 6-14, with all games to be hosted in Harare.
Shubman Gill was named captain of the side and he will lead the Men in Blue for the first time in any format.
However, there were some big names missing from the 15-member squad, Tilak Varma being one of them. Varma had been excellent for Mumbai Indians in their disappointing IPL 2024 campaign, as he hammered 416 runs at an average of 41.60 and a strike rate touching 150. He had done well for India last year as well when given chances in the T20I format.
There was much noise on social media about Tilak Varma’s exclusion from the Indian squad for Zimbabwe T20Is, but journalist Kushan Sarkar from PTI has shed light on why this happened.
Sarkar revealed that Tilak Varma is at the NCA rehabbing from an injury and hence was unavailable for selection for the Zimbabwe tour.
Reason revealed behind Tilak Varma’s absence:
He wrote on X: “Some people wanted to know about R Sai Kishore and Tilak Varma. Both are currently nursing injuries and hence couldn’t be considered for selection.”
Some people wanted to know about R Sai Kishore and Tilak Varma. Both are currently nursing injuries and hence couldn't be considered for selection.#India#Cricket#Updates@BCCI
— Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) June 24, 2024
IPL performers preferred for the Zimbabwe T20I tour bringing in new blood in the Indian team
Rinku Singh and Avesh Khan, who were in the T20 World Cup reserve squad, have also been included. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is part of India’s T20 World Cup squad, has also been included.
Other notable names are Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Tushar Deshpande.
The selection of these aforementioned players took into account their IPL performances. Parag scored the third most runs, while Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head revolutionized T20 batting in the powerplay.
Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Bishnoi, and Avesh Khan make up the bowling section in India’s new-look squad. The Indian team has a new appearance, with all of its senior players rested.
The senior players will return to play for India against South Africa and Australia later this year. Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe tour provides an excellent opportunity to put these young players through their paces in preparation for the future of Indian cricket.
Also Read: ‘If Virat Kohli And Rohit Sharma Keep Faltering, Selectors Might Rethink’- Virender Sehwag
