India's young guns fired on all cylinders in the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe on Saturday, July 13. Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill chased down a modest target of 153 with ease. Jaiswal blazed to a brilliant 93, while Gill provided solid support with a well-made 58. Their dominant opening partnership secured a comfortable 10-wicket win for India, clinching the five-match series 3-1 at the Harare Sports Club. This impressive performance has sparked discussions about India's T20I future. Former selector Saba Karim believes the successful duo of Jaiswal and Gill should be India's new opening combination for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka. With veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having recently retired from T20Is, Karim sees Jaiswal and Gill as the ideal candidates to fill the vacant slots left by the batting legends. Their performance against Zimbabwe suggests they might be ready to step up and lead India's T20I charge.
Looking ahead to the Sri Lanka series, Karim advocated for including Abhishek Sharma in the final 15-man squad, highlighting his potential contribution.
"The most important positions will be in the top order only. I feel the selectors should go with these two (Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill) only. I feel Abhishek Sharma should get a place at least in the 15 because you have Rishabh Pant at No. 3 and Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4," Karim told Sony Sports.
A new captain will lead India's T20I side during their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The Men in Blue will embark on a white-ball series against the island nation later this month, featuring three T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals (ODIs).
"It also depends on who is the captain in T20Is. Gautam Gambhir is the head coach, so what is the thinking of the captain and head coach, and how they want to take the team forward. They will have to select players accordingly. Ruturaj Gaikwad is also there. So many players are staking a claim in the top order," he added.
India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka has undergone a slight schedule revision. Originally set to begin on July 26th, the tour will now kick off on July 27th with the first T20I. The BCCI confirmed this change on July 13th. The five-match series consists of three T20 Internationals followed by three One Day Internationals (ODIs). All three T20Is will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, with revised dates of July 27th, 28th, and 30th. The ODIs will now be played on August 2nd, 4th, and 7th at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This marks India's return to Sri Lanka for a white-ball bilateral series since 2021. Under the leadership of stand-in coach Rahul Dravid and captain Shikhar Dhawan, a second-string Indian team successfully clinched both the T20I and ODI series on that occasion.
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