Team India has landed in Zimbabwe in preparation for the five-match T20I series against the hosts. Notably, a young team led by Shubman Gill will face Zimbabwe starting from Saturday, July 6. VVS Laxman, head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), will serve as the head coach for the entire tour.
The team arrived in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, July 3 and received a warm welcome. In a video shared by Zimbabwe Cricket, Laxman and other members of the support staff were seen emerging from the arrivals gate along with the 15-member squad.
The BCCI has made three changes to the squad ahead of the series, adding batter Sai Sudharsan, wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma, and fast bowler Harshit Rana. The trio will replace Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first two T20Is, as they are currently stranded in Zimbabwe due to Hurricane Beryl and are expected to join the squad later.
Harshit Rana had an outstanding season playing for KKR in the Indian Premier League 2024, finishing as the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker of the tournament. The right-arm seamer took 19 wickets from 11 innings at an average of 20.15 and an economy of 9.08.
After not being initially selected, the 22-year-old shared a cryptic message on his Instagram story, stating, 'Everything will come to you at the perfect time.' Following his inclusion in the team, KKR celebrated his selection with a special post captioned, "God's Plan, babay! 🇮🇳 Chalo Zimbabwe!"
Sai Sudharsan also had a successful season with the bat, finishing as the sixth-highest run-scorer of the season with 531 runs, while Dhruv Jurel contributed 195 runs with the bat.
India's squad for the 1st & 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe includes
Shubman Gill (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Harshit Rana.
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