On Monday, June 24, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced India’s 18-man squad for the forthcoming series against Zimbabwe. After the completion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the Men in Blue will travel to Zimbabwe for a five-match bilateral T20I series. While senior players in the team have been rested, batting star Shubman Gill will take on the captaincy role. The series will get underway from July 6 and all the games will be played in Harare.
The squad sees as many as four players getting their maiden India call-ups, while a few stars seem to have been ignored.
Players to watch out for in Zimbabwe vs India T20I series
Here are five players to watch out for in the upcoming series against Zimbabwe:
Shubman Gill
India’s emerging batting star Shubman Gill has been handed over the responsibility of leading the side in the upcoming series. Gill was a part of the travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup 2024 along with Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, and Avesh Khan. The batter led his Indian Premier League franchise Gujarat Titans in 2024 and has experience leading a side. Not only this, but his 426 runs in 12 matches in the season are proof that he knows how to handle the captaincy pressure and not let it affect his performance.
Nitish Kumar Reddy
SunRisers Hyderabad all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy made it to the limelight with his solid performances for the side in IPL 2023. The 21-year-old scored 303 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 142.92 while batting in the lower-middle order. Not only this, but he also came up with two half-centuries. In the season, Reddy picked three wickets in 13 matches while bowling 79 deliveries. Reddy, who is often called as Hardik Pandya’s successor is expected to come up with the same kind of performance.
Riyan Parag
Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag shut all his critics with his brilliant comeback in IPL 2024 after being on their radar in the past few seasons. Parag emerged as the breakout star for the side in the latest season of the cash-rich league and repaid the faith his supporters showed in him. Parag scored 573 runs in 15 matches with a strike rate of nearly 150. Parag got his well-deserved national call-up and will be expected to come up with the same performance in Indian colours.
Abhishek Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s explosive batter Abhishek Sharma has represented India in the U-19 World Cup. Sharma was the breakout star for his side in the season as he scored 484 runs in 16 innings with a strike rate of 204.22. Sharma scored three half-centuries and played a key role in guiding the side to the top two in the season. Sharma has played 104 T20s and scored 2671 runs with a strike rate of 153.59, combined with three centuries and 16 fifties.
Tushar Deshpande
Chennai Super Kings pacer Tushar Deshpande was skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s one of the go-to pacers during the IPL 2024. Deshpande represents Mumbai in domestic cricket and is currently one of the most consistent performances in T20s. The 29-year-old finished as the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai at the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 16 wickets from eight matches and an economy of 6.98. In the 2024 IPL, Deshpande finished as CSK’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets from 13 matches and an economy of 8.83.