Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, and Harshit Rana have been included in India’s 15-member team for the initial two T20 internationals in Zimbabwe, which commence later this week. They will take the place of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who will return to India along with the remainder of the T20 World Cup-winning squad before departing for Zimbabwe for the final three matches.
The T20 World Cup champion team was anticipated to arrive in India on Monday; however, their arrival has been postponed due to Hurricane Beryl, which resulted in the closure of the airport in Barbados. Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are scheduled to participate in a felicitation ceremony in India prior to their journey to Zimbabwe, hence triggering the additions of Sai Sudarshan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana in the squad.
Rinku Singh and Khaleel Ahmed, both of whom were included in the reserves for the World Cup, are expected to travel directly to Harare from the Caribbean to join the team. Shubman Gill has been appointed as the captain of the squad for the Zimbabwe tour, and he will be arriving directly from the USA, where he was on vacation following his release from India’s touring reserves after the conclusion of the group stage.
India Vs Zimbabwe: An Opportunity For The Young Guns
Sai Sudharsan, who debuted internationally during the South Africa tour last December, is presently competing for Surrey in Division 1 of the County Championship. He is expected to join the squad in Harare on July 4, following the completion of Surrey’s current match against Essex. Last month, Sai Sudharsan renewed his contract with Surrey after a remarkable first season with the team. This marks his inaugural selection for the India T20I team.
For Jitesh Sharma, receiving this call-up represents a crucial opportunity after he lost the selectors’ favor due to a lackluster performance in IPL 2024, during which he accumulated only 187 runs across 12 innings at a strike rate of 131.69.
Harshit Rana, who is receiving his first call-up to the Indian national team, played a significant role for the triumphant Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the IPL 2024 season. Until the end of last month, he was training at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy as part of a conditioning camp aimed at developing emerging fast bowlers. He finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker for KKR, claiming 19 wickets at an average of 20.15, equaling the performance of Andre Russell, and trailing only Varun Chakravarthy, who took 21 wickets.
India’s squad for 1st and 2nd T20Is against Zimbabwe
Shubman Gill (capt), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana
