Tushar Deshpande set to make his India debut in IND vs ZIM 4th T20I, receives cap in presence of his wife
Tushar Deshpande, a 29-year-old pacer from Mumbai, is set to make his Team India debut. The bowler was named in the Men in Blue's playing XI for their fourth T20I of the ongoing five-match series against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Saturday, July 13.
Deshpande received his debut T20I cap in the presence of his wife Nabha Gaddamwar. The right-arm seamer has been a regular feature in the Mumbai team in domestic cricket and has plied his trade for the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Speaking in a pre-match interview, Deshpande shared his excitement over his Team India debut. He also highlighted that being part of the CSK camp has helped him significantly.
He said:
"Very happy to be here. It all goes back to my childhood days when I dreamt of playing for my country. Being here wearing the blue feels very proud. Means a lot to me. The atmosphere is really great here. Playing for CSK in the IPL helped me. That experience will surely help me in the internationals. I started as a batsman, so that comes naturally to me, looking to refine it and I have been working on it. Overall the atmosphere in the team is chill."
It is worth mentioning that Tushar Deshpande has been the leading wicket-taker for CSK for the past two editions of the IPL. He claimed 21 wickets from 16 outings in 2023, while he finished with 17 scalps from 13 matches in 2024.
Tushar Deshpande replaced Avesh Khan in the playing XI for the IND vs ZIM 4th T20I
Team India skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to field first in the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe. The visitors made just one change to their lineup, with Avesh Khan making way for debutant Tushar Deshpande.
Speaking at the toss, Gill said:
"We'll bowl first. Looks like a fresh wicket. Hopefully, there's going to be something in it for the fast bowlers. The death bowling is where we can improve. We got a little complacent (in the previous match). Tushar Deshpande makes his debut in place of Avesh Khan."
Here are the playing XIs for the IND vs ZIM 4th T20I:
IND: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill(c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson(w), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, and Khaleel Ahmed.
ZIM: Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Johnathan Campbell, Faraz Akram, Clive Madande(w), Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, and Tendai Chatara.