Shubman Gil will lead the Indian team on their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, a move which has been seen as an indication of what the future holds for the team. The tour consists of five T20Is which will be played between July 6 and 14 at the Harare Sports Club.
None of those who have played in the 2024 T20 World Cup so far are included in the squad for the Zimbabwe tour. Gill, with the stimulator Avesh Khan, was part of the traveling reserves for the American leg of India’s T20 World Cup campaign. As the two players returned, Rinku Singh is still present as a traveling reserve and is expected to play in Zimbabwe. Sanju Samson And Yashasvi Jaiswalwho are part of the T20 World Cup squad, are also part of the squad for the tour.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag said naming Gill captain for the tour was the right decision as he is the leading candidate to take on the role permanently whenever Rohit Sharma goes down. “Shubman Gill is in it for the long haul. He is a player who plays in all three formats,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“He had a great last year. He was unlucky to miss the T20 World Cup 2024. According to me, it is the right decision to make him captain. When Rohit Sharma leaves tomorrow, Shubman Gill will be his good replacement as captain,” he said.
First call for Riyan Parag and Nitish Reddy
Riyan Parag earned his first Indian cap after an impressive season in the IPL 2024. Parag finished third in the Orange Cap rankings as only Indian openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (583) and Virat Kohli (741) scored more runs than the RR batting in IPL. 2024.
Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy also received his first India call-up for the upcoming series. Reddy was awarded the Emerging Player award for the IPL 2024 season. The SRH all-rounder scored 303 runs at an average of 33.67 and a strike rate of 142.92 last season.
Reddy’s SRH teammate, opener Abhishek Sharma is also set to make his India debut in Zimbabwe. The SRH opener capped off an impressive season with Pat Cummins and Co. in the IPL. Young Abhishek has accumulated 484 runs in 16 matches of IPL 2024. The young Indian team also includes Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Rinku Singh and Tushar Deshpande.