India has announced its squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, led by Shubman Gill, scheduled from July 6 to 14 at Harare Sports Club. In the team are many new faces that include Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande, all getting their maiden call-ups.
Among the notable inclusions, honorable mentions are of local boys Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson, who currently feature in India's squad for the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup. Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan, who are traveling reserves for the World Cup, also make up the squad for the Zimbabwe tour.
Nitish Reddy, who turns out for Andhra in domestic cricket, may have been noticed by many through their performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024—303 runs in 13 innings at an average of 33.67 and a strike rate of 143. His seam bowling chipped in with three wickets; thus, he was adjudged the Best Emerging Player for that season.
India's strategy for the Zimbabwe tour continues the trend of opportunities given to young talent in preparation for future tournaments like the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka. The approach is a replay of past tours to Zimbabwe since 2010, laying emphasis on the development of players and their exposure to international cricket.
The tour follows the conclusion of the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup, whose final is scheduled on June 29 in Barbados. It would be the fourth bilateral men's T20I series between India and Zimbabwe; the previous three were played in 2010, 2015, and 2016.
India's squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.
