The Indian cricket team has made some significant changes to its squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. B Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, and Harshit Rana are set to join the 15-member squad for the first two matches, stepping in for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The trio will return to India along with the T20 World Cup-winning squad before heading out to Zimbabwe for the remaining three games.
The T20 World Cup victors were initially expected to land in India but faced a delay due to Hurricane Beryl causing the closure of the Barbados airport. Amidst this, Samson, Dube, and Jaiswal will partake in a felicitation ceremony in India before their journey to Zimbabwe. Additionally, Rinku Singh and Khaleel Ahmed, former reserves for the World Cup, are likely to directly join the squad in Harare from the Caribbean.Shubman Gill, appointed as the captain for the Zimbabwe series, will link up with the squad from the USA post his holiday, after being released from India's touring reserves.
Notably, Sai Sudharsan, presently competing for Surrey in Division 1 of the County Championship, is poised to join the team in Harare post Surrey's ongoing fixture against Essex on July 4.Jitesh Sharma, earning a recall after a lackluster IPL 2024 season, and Harshit Rana, receiving his maiden call-up to the Indian team following an impressive stint with KKR, bring added dynamics to the squad.
The series against Zimbabwe is scheduled to commence on July 6 at the Harare Sports Club, followed by matches on July 7, 10, 13, and 14. The Indian team, with these changes, looks forward to a competitive T20I series against Zimbabwe.