Harare: India will be facing off against Zimbabwe in the third T20I at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday, July 10. The ongoing five-match series is currently tied at 1-1.
The return of three T20 World Cup-winning squad members, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Sanju Samson, has strengthened the Men in Blue’s squad ahead of the last three T20Is. This has also led to some selection challenges for the team’s think tank.
India’s squad for the T20Is against Zimbabwe:
Shubman Gill (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson (wk).
It is unclear who will accompany Shubman Gill at the top of the order. However, he will likely persist as the captain, while the return of Yashasvi Jaiswal could impact the opening partnership.
Despite his noteworthy performance in the last game, Abhishek Sharma might be better suited to batting in the middle order, which could open up a spot for Jaiswal at the top.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century in the last game might not be enough to secure his place in the XI, but he could still retain his position with a possible rotation with Abhishek at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.
The return of Sanju Samson might lead to Dhruv Jurel being left out, which would also be a tough decision given the recent debutant’s performance. Similarly, the same applies to Riyan Parag and B Sai Sudharsan. With Shivam Dube also competing for a spot in the middle order, India might have to make several changes to accommodate the current players.
Rinku Singh and Washington Sundar, who have been performing well in the series, are expected to keep their spots.
India’s decision to drop Khaleel Ahmed for an additional batsman in the second T20I might lead to a similar strategy in the third match.
Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan could once again be the two fast bowlers, especially after the team has had some days off. While it would be nice to see Harshit Rana replacing Mukesh, there are no indications of the team management considering this change.
Ravi Bishnoi, who has been in excellent form, is expected to lead the spin department again.
