Picking a combined Zimbabwe-India playing XI for 1st T20I ft. Shubman Gill and Sikandar Raza
The new generation of Team India is set to face Zimbabwe in a five-match T20I series. The first game is set for Saturday, July 6, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. IST. All of the matches will take place at the Harare Sports Club.
This is the first assignment for the T20 World Cup champions. With Virat Kohl, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja bidding goodbye to the short format, the young players have a chance to make a case for themselves. Shubman Gill will lead the team, which has IPL stars Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Tushar Deshpande.
Meanwhile, captain Sikandar Raza will lead Zimbabwe, who have a lot of faces as well. They haven't included the likes of Craig Ervine and Sean Williams. The Zimbabwe board is looking to rebuild their squad after they failed to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
If we look at the head-to-head record, India and Zimbabwe have faced off eight times. The Men in Blue have come on top on six occasions, while Zimbabwe have won twice.
On that note, here's a look at the combined playing XI before the opening game of the five-match T20I series between Zimbabwe and India on Saturday.
Openers: Shubman Gill (c) and Abhishek Sharma
Shubman Gill was in outstanding form in IPL 2023, scoring 890 runs in 17 matches. In 12 IPL 2024 matches, the right-handed batsman managed only 426 runs, so Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked ahead of him for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
As Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are no longer available, Gill will look to establish a solid reputation for himself as both an opener and a captain. With 335 runs at an average of 25.7 in 14 T20I matches, Gill will look to better his record.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the left-handed batter from Punjab. Abhishek Sharma, who was on fire in the IPL, and his good form earned him his maiden national call-up.
The young Indian batter scored 484 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 204.2 and struck three fifties in IPL 2024. Abhishek will look to replicate that performance for the Men in Blue in T20Is against Zimbabwe.
Middle order/all-rounders: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sikandar Raza, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar
Indian captain Shubman Gill confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad will bat at No. 3 in the T20Is against Zimbabwe. The Chennai Super Kings captain had a decent IPL with a bat and will look to continue his good form.
Ruturaj scored 583 runs in 14 matches, hitting our fifties and a century. The right-handed batter has played 19 matches for India and will look to put up a show to confirm his spot in the coming series.
If Zimbabwe are to win the series against India, the onus will be on their captain, Sikandar Raza. The all-rounder is the most experienced player in the team. He has played 86 T20Is, scoring 1947 runs and picking up 60 wickets. The Zimbabwe captain will look to put his experience to good use by leading from the front.
Young Indian wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel has been in decent touch in the recent past. He was excellent in the Test series against England earlier this year, scoring 190 runs in four innings at an average of 63.3.
He played a brilliant hand under pressure for the Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 against SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024. The keeper-batter will look to get his maiden T20I cap and make some decent contributions to the team's success.
One will say Rinku Singh was unlucky to not be in the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. His chances got hampered when he didn’t get enough time to bat in IPL 2024.
The left-handed batter will look to make amends and show his talent once again. Rinku has brilliant numbers for India: 356 runs in 11 T20Is at an average of 89.
Ravindra Jadeja bid farewell to the shortest format of the game after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. Now, it’s the perfect time for Washington Sundar to cement his place on the Indian team.
The all-rounder didn't get enough playing time in the IPL due to the impact player rule. He will now aim show his class in the series against Zimbabwe. Washington has picked up 34 wickets in 43 matches for India in T20Is.
Bowlers: Blessing Muzarabani, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Tendai Chatara
The right-arm pacer Blessing Muzarabani has a decent record in T20Is. With a decent economy of 7.3, the Zimbabwean bowler has taken 60 wickets in 51 games. Muzarabani will look to lead the Zimbabwe bowling attack when they face India in the first match on July 6.
Ravi Bishnoi has found himself behind Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal for the spot in the T20 team. However, the 23-year-old leg-spinner has a chance to make an impact. Ravi is the lead spinner in this Indian team; he has played 24 matches and has 36 wickets/
Avesh Khan has impressed with his bowling recently. He had the duty of bowling at the death for the Rajasthan Royals and did a decent job. In IPL 2024, he took 19 wickets in 16 games. Meanwhile, for India, he has picked up 19 wickets in 20 matches.
Meanwhile, veteran pacer Tendai Chatara is making a comeback in the Zimbabwean side. The right-arm pacer has a lot of experience and will look to test young Indian batters. Chatara has played 56 T20Is for Zimbabwe and has 62 wickets.