Shubman Gill to lead Team India in five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, four uncapped players picked

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced a 15-man squad for a five-game T20I series in Zimbabwe, which begins on July 6. A host of senior players have been rested, with Shubman Gill set to captain a young squad, which includes four uncapped players.

The likes of Riyan Parag, Tushar Deshpande, Nitish Reddy, and Abhishek Sharma are the uncapped players in the 15-man squad. Dhruv Jurel, who got his Test cap against England in the five-match series earlier this year on home soil, is in line to make a T20 debut.

Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag are notable inclusions as they were sensational for the SunRisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals, respectively, in IPL 2024.

Abhishek mustered 484 runs in 16 matches, striking at 204.21, while Parag finished as the third-highest run-getter with 573 runs in 16 outings, averaging 52.09. Nitish Reddy emerged as a promising all-rounder and also won the Emerging Player of IPL 2024 for his 303 runs and three wickets. Seamer Tushar Deshpande was also decent for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, picking up 17 wickets.

Team India squad: 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.

All five matches against Zimbabwe will be played at the Harare Sports Club.

Shubman Gill part of Team India's reserves in T20 World Cup 2024

Gill, meanwhile, was named among Team India's reserves for the T20 World Cup 2024. However, some reports claimed he was sent back. The elegant right-hander was in the mix to be included in the main squad, but the selectors preferred Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Gill, who captained the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024, mustered 426 runs in 12 matches at 38.73, striking at 147.40.

As far as the youngster's T20I numbers go, he has 335 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 147.57 with a century and a half-century.