Shubman Gill, 24, is set to lead a youthful Indian cricket team on the upcoming white-ball tour of Zimbabwe, which includes five T20 matches starting on July 6. With key players like Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma resting, this tour will showcase emerging talents.
The senior selection committee approached Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav to join the tour, but both players declined. In their stead, IPL standouts such as Abhishek Sharma from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tushar Deshpande, and Harshit Rana have been selected. Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Rinku Singh, who were on the bench during the T20 World Cup, will also be part of the squad.
Abhishek Sharma, 23, will make his debut for the Indian team after an impressive IPL season where he scored 484 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Riyan Parag also had a stellar season with 573 runs for Rajasthan Royals. Nitish Kumar Reddy, recognized as BCCI’s emerging player of the year, is included to bolster the all-rounder options. Tushar Deshpande, a reliable pacer for Chennai Super Kings, and Harshit Rana, who performed well for Delhi Capitals, complete the squad.
Shubman Gill and pacer Avesh Khan recently returned from the USA, where they were reserve players for the T20 World Cup, to rest and prepare for the Zimbabwe tour.
VVS Laxman will serve as the coach for the tour, with the new permanent coach expected to join the team for the Sri Lanka tour starting on July 27. Laxman, currently the head of cricket at the National Cricket Academy, brings valuable experience to the young team.
This series is a significant opportunity for emerging players to prove their mettle on the international stage and for selectors to identify potential stars for future tournaments.