Playing 11 of Indians to have made their T20I debut in Harare ft. Virat Kohli & Ravichandran Ashwin
Team India continued their red-hot T20I form following the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph with a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe. After a surprising defeat in the series opener, the Men in Blue bounced back to win the next four outings convincingly.
With all five matches played in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, Team India had several T20I debutants throughout the series. This has been a trend for over a decade now, where Indian players have sent second-string sides to Zimbabwe, resulting in many star players making their T20I debut in the African nation.
Considering India have played all their T20I games in Zimbabwe in Harare, the venue has seen several top-flight Indian stars make their T20I debut there.
On that note, let us form a playing XI of Indians to have debuted in T20I at Harare.
Openers - KL Rahul, Abhishek Sharma
One of India's most accomplished batters, KL Rahul, made his T20I debut in Harare in the first game of the three-match series in 2016. Unfortunately, he had a game to forget, registering a first-ball duck in India's two-run defeat against the hosts.
Chasing 171 for victory, India lost Rahul, who was cleaned up by Donald Tiripano, in the first ball of the innings. The stylish batter has since played an overall 72 T20Is for India, scoring 2,265 runs at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 139.12.
The second opener of this Indian eleven to have debuted in T20Is in Harare will be the swashbuckling Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed batter played his first T20I in the recently concluded series.
Yet, like Rahul, Abhishek also was dismissed for a duck off 4 deliveries in the series opener. But, he rebounded immediately with a breathtaking century in the second T20I and finished the series with 124 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 174.64.
Middle Order - Virat Kohli (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Manish Pandey, Riyan Parag
T20I's second all-time leading run-scorer Virat Kohli played his first game for India in the shortest format against Zimbabwe in Harare in 2010. It was also India's first-ever T20I game against the African nation.
The champion batter enjoyed a successful outing, scoring 26* off 21 in India's successful chase of 112. Kohli batted at No.5 and helped India achieve the target in only 15 overs.
He recently retired from the format in international cricket after India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph.
The second of the two-match T20I series in Zimbabwe in 2015 saw the gifted Sanju Samson make his T20I debut. He scored only 19 off 24 deliveries batting at No.7, as India failed to chase down 146 to lose by 10 runs.
The 29-year-old has played 28 T20Is for India, averaging a disappointing 21.14 at a strike rate of 133.33.
Another promising right-hander Manish Pandey debuted in T20Is for India in Harare in the 2015 bilateral series against Zimbabwe. The 34-year-old scored a run-a-ball 19 in India's 178/5 in 20 overs, a total they defended with ease by 54 runs.
Pandey has played 39 T20Is for India, scoring 709 runs at an excellent average of 44.31 and a strike rate of 126.15.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Riyan Parag rounds out the middle order of this playing XI, having debuted for India in the recent T20I series in Zimbabwe. The 22-year-old scored only a 3-ball 2, as India coughed up a simple run-chase of 116 with a 13-run loss.
Parag played three out of the five T20I games but scored 24 runs in his two batting innings.
All-rounders: Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin
One of India's best T20I all-rounders Axar Patel debuted in the format during their 2015 tour to Zimbabwe. He enjoyed immediate success with figures of 3/17 in four overs to help India defend 178 by 54 runs.
Axar was the Player of the Match and has played an overall 60 T20Is, including being an integral part in India's 2024 T20 World Cup title run.
Another spinning all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin debuted in T20Is in Harare in 2010, the first India-Zimbabwe meeting in the format. The off-spinner produced impressive figures of 1/22 in four overs to help India restrict Zimbabwe to 111 in 20 overs.
The Asian giants won by six wickets and Ashwin has since played 65 total T20Is, scoring 184 runs and picking up 72 wickets.
Bowlers - Yuzvendra Chahal, Jaydev Unadkat, Sandeep Sharma
Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat made their T20I debuts in the series opener at Harare in 2016. Both had forgettable outings, combining for 81 runs in their eight overs, with Chahal picking up the lone wicket between them.
While Unadkat has played 10 T20Is overall with 14 wickets, Chahal has been one of India's best in the shortest format. The leggie has played 80 T20Is and picked up 96 scalps at an average of 25.09 and an economy of 8.19.
The wily right-arm medium pacer Sandeep Sharma debuted for India in T20Is at Harare in the series opener in 2015. Despite India winning by 54 runs, he endured a dismal outing, conceding 34 runs for no wickets in his three overs.
The 31-year-old played only the second and final game of that series and hasn't been back in the fray for India since.