The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a new era, following their T20 World Cup 2024 title triumph. Captain Rohit Sharma and batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who led the opening charge during the tournament, have both announced their retirement from T20 internationals. This marks a significant shift for the Indian team, as they embark on a new chapter under the leadership of young opener Shubman Gill. The first challenge for this revamped squad comes on Saturday in the form of a T20I series opener against Zimbabwe. Stepping into the shoes of the departed veterans, Gill has confirmed his opening partner for the match to be Abhishek Sharma. This will be a new opening combination for India, signifying the team's transition to a fresh era.
Abhishek Sharma to open with Shubman Gill in Zimbabwe series
"Abhishek Sharma will open with me and Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at No.3," Gill said in the pre-match press conference.
This T20I series against Zimbabwe marks a fresh start for the Indian team. Many of the World Cup heroes are being rested, giving opportunities to exciting new talents. Leading the charge is Abhishek Sharma, who will be making his T20I debut. He impressed everyone with his explosive batting in the IPL, scoring a whopping 484 runs at a blistering strike rate. Abhishek's left-arm spin bowling could also prove valuable on the slow and low pitches in Harare.
Joining Sharma could be two more debutants: Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. Parag, known for his big hitting in the IPL, has a chance to showcase his skills at the international level. Jurel, on the other hand, is likely to take the wicketkeeping gloves for the first two matches as regular keeper Sanju Samson is rested.
Shubman Gill will be donning the captain's hat for the first time in this series, drawing on his experience leading the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024.
"A lot of lessons. When I captain for the first time for my IPL team, I got to know a lot more things about myself and a lot more things about the leadership perspective. And I felt most of the challenges that you face as a captain are more mental," he added.
Gill expects the young players to seize the opportunity to gain international experience on this tour.
"It's quite a different team from the one that played in the World Cup. There are a lot of young players in the team, including myself. So I think in terms of that, we just want to give the players experience and how the international, what it is like to play at the international level because a lot of the players haven't played that many matches and some of the players haven't even made their debut. So I think that is our aim for the series, to give them more international exposure and experience," Gill concluded.
India's squad for first-two T20Is against Zimbabwe
Shubman Gill(c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel(w), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Harshit Rana
Zimbabwe's squad for T20I series against India:
Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Sikandar Raza(c), Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande(w), Innocent Kaia, Wessly Madhevere, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Tendai Chatara, Brandon Mavuta, Dion Myers, Faraz Akram, Antum Naqvi
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