Team India leaves for Zimbabwe with VVS Laxman as a coach

Late on Monday night, the youthful Indian cricket squad, led by interim coach VVS Laxman, departed for Zimbabwe to begin a five-match Twenty20 International series on July 6. Shubman Gill will serve as the team’s captain after the BCCI chose to rest all of India’s key players from the side that won the T20 World Cup. After 17 years, the team captained by Rohit Sharma defeated South Africa in a thrilling final on Saturday, June 29.

Another group of Indian cricket players has set out on a fresh adventure, even as the country waits for the homecoming of the World Cup-winning heroes who have been stuck in Barbados for the past two days because of a hurricane. They will probably arrive back in New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted images of players, including Avesh Khan, Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, departing for Zimbabwe on Instagram.

Jet ✈️
Set 👌
Zimbabwe 🇿🇼#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 | #ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/q3sFz639z7
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 1, 2024

The team, which only consists of three players from India’s World Cup-winning 15 will be coached by NCA chief Laxman. The new head coach of India, Rahul Dravid, whose stint came to an end with the World Cup, has not yet been announced by the BCCI.

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Players from T20 Wc Squad will Join later

Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson will probably join the team later. Along with Samson, Jaiswal, and Dube, Khaleel Ahmed and Rinku Singh, who were in the Caribbean islands as backup players for India’s World Cup team, will go to Zimbabwe.

After Nitish Kumar Reddy became injured, Dube was recruited to the squad, although he had not previously been a member of it.

The India T20I team is gearing up for life after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja, and the Zimbabwe series will usher in a new chapter in their history. Following their World Cup victory, all three declared their retirement from the shortest format.

This will be Tushar Deshpande, Riyan Parag, and Abhishek Sharma’s first experience playing international cricket. They were chosen as a result of an exceptional IPL 2024.

Shubman Gill the new Indian T20I Captain

Shubman Gill, who is about to make his Indian captaincy debut, will be the center of attention. The right-handed opener is keen to establish himself as the first man after missing out on a spot in India’s T20 World Cup team. Given the presence of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaiswal, Abhishek, and Samson on the team, a logjam at the top of the order is anticipated. In the World Cup, Jaiswal and Samson were not given any games. Against Zimbabwe, they will undoubtedly start in the starting lineup.

Additionally, Washington Sundar who did not play much in the 2024 Indian Premier League—will have a fantastic opportunity to replace Jadeja in the Twenty20 Internationals.

Sikandar Raza, an accomplished hitter, was selected captain of a young Zimbabwean squad. Additionally, Zimbabwe Cricket released a statement naming Antum Naqvi, a native of Belgium, as a member of the squad. However, his ultimate participation is contingent upon the verification of his citizenship status.

Naqvi was born in Brussels, Belgium, to Pakistani parents. He then moved to Australia, but not before he sought for naturalization and said that he wanted to play cricket for Zimbabwe.

Squads

India squad for Zimbabwe series: Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.

Zimbabwe squad for India series: Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Milton Shumba.