The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced a fresh-faced 15-member squad for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe on Monday, June 24. Shubman Gill, who recently led the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024, will be making his captaincy debut for India. This marks Gill's first foray into national leadership after leading a successful IPL campaign. The squad boasts five exciting new faces who have received their maiden call-up to the Indian team. These young players will be looking to impress and potentially stake their claim for a spot in the future national setup.
Here's India's squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe
Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.
Indian selectors' decision for the T20I series against Zimbabwe have left some fans scratching their heads, particularly with the omissions of these five players. Take a look:
Yuzvendra Chahal's Absence
A seasoned leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal's return to the Indian team after a stellar IPL 2024 was met with much anticipation. However, despite his impressive form, he hasn't been given a single opportunity to showcase his skills in the World Cup so far. This decision to drop him without any game time has left many questioning the selectors' reasoning.
Harshit Rana Uncapped
Another surprising omission is Harshit Rana, a young talent who impressed during IPL 2024. With 19 wickets in 13 matches and a commendable economy rate of 9.08, including bowling effectively in the death overs, Rana was a strong contender for his maiden India call-up. His exclusion from the squad has come as a major surprise to many fans who believe his recent form warranted inclusion.
Shreyas Iyer's Captaincy Credentials Ignored?
Shreyas Iyer's exclusion came as a shock to many. Having recently captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to an IPL title win and served as the T20I vice-captain against Australia last year, Iyer seemed like a strong contender for the Zimbabwe captaincy role. While rumors suggest he might be considered for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka, his absence from the T20I squad entirely remains a puzzling decision.
Varun Chakravarthy, Mystery Spinner Left Out
Varun Chakravarthy's case is equally intriguing. After a three-year absence from the national team, Chakravarthy had a stellar IPL 2024 season, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps. Despite his impressive form and unique skillset as a mystery spinner, the selectors opted to overlook him for the T20I squad.
T Natarajan's Wait for Recall Continues
Left-arm pacer T Natarajan's impressive performance in the recent domestic season, where he bagged 19 wickets in 14 matches, fueled expectations of a return to the national team for the Zimbabwe series. However, his name was once again missing from the squad selection, leaving his comeback in limbo. Natarajan's last international appearance for India came in 2021.
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