3 players who were unlucky to miss out on India's squad for the Zimbabwe T20I series ft. Varun Chakaravarthy
The current focus might be on the 2024 T20 World Cup, but the BCCI is thinking ahead. The board announced India's squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which will commence in Harare on July 6.
Needless to say, the Men in Blue will field an entirely second-string squad for the tour. Shubman Gill has been named the captain, with many players earning their maiden call-ups to the national team. The likes of Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Tushar Deshpande, and Abhishek Sharma will have the chance to make their international debuts.
India's squad for the Zimbabwe T20Is: áhubman Gill (c), 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.
At the same time, however, a few deserving names were scorned. While Tilak Varma is reportedly injured, others who were available unfortunately haven't made the grade.
On that note, here are three players who were unlucky to miss out on India's squad for the Zimbabwe T20I series.
#3 Varun Chakaravarthy
Varun Chakaravarthy was arguably the best Indian spinner on display in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). He has been a standout performer for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) over the last two seasons, taking on various roles across phases and conditions.
However, the selectors don't seem to have much faith in Chakaravarthy, who has been left out once again. Ravi Bishnoi is the only frontline spinner in the squad, with Washington Sundar and part-timers taking up the other spots.
India could've used an additional spinner in Zimbabwe. Even otherwise, Chakaravarthy is a bowler who has done enough to warrant being picked, with his splendid variations and consistency.
#2 Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar had a middling start to IPL 2024, but he came into his own as the tournament wore on. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru man emerged as one of the most dangerous batters in the competition, particularly against spin.
Patidar, however, hasn't been picked for the Zimbabwe tour. He is a player who has already made his international debut in the other two formats and has the pedigree to succeed at the highest level.
Patidar is on the wrong side of 30, and that might have dissuaded the selectors. But he's in the prime of his batting right now, and there's no reason why he shouldn't be picked after the kind of IPL season he had.
#1 Harshit Rana
Why hasn't Harshit Rana been picked? He was part of the Emerging Teams tour, has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, and showed just how high his ceiling is during IPL 2024.
Rana has all the tools necessary to become a world-class T20 bowler. The 22-year-old has high pace, an excellent slower ball that dips appreciably, and the ability to bowl across phases. There's even a batting all-rounder in there somewhere.
Rana should've been ahead of Mukesh Kumar and Tushar Deshpande in the pecking order, at the very least. It's even arguable that he should've been picked ahead of the other two fast bowlers in the squad.