IND vs ZIM: The newly crowned champions India faced a major backlash as the visitors faced a crushing defeat to the underdog hosts in the first T20I. Zimbabwe one-sidedly dominated the Indians as the young Indian batters shepherded by Shubman Gill never seemed to settle in front of the Zimbabwe bowling attack.
IPL stars Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag, who seemed to be inevitable parts of India’s upcoming teams, failed miserably in their first outing at Harare. After veteran greats Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20 internationals, India will look to replace these greats in the shortest format of the game.
In the quest for a young team, the newly appointed Indian coach Gautam Gambhir’s substitute for the series VVS Laxman, has been provided with a relatively fresh bunch of players who are just keeping their foot at the international level. Led by Shubman Gill, India has fixed Abhishek Sharma as his opening partner, with Gaikwad coming in at no. 3.
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This decision seemed wise as Abhishek could utilize the field restrictions largely; however, nothing happened as per plan, as the IPL star performer failed to add anything to the score.
After the entire Indian set-up, those who were not a part of the World Cup-winning squad underperformed in the opening match of the T20I series. The arrival of the three players who were a part of India’s World Cup-winning squad will be highly considered for a revival of form.
Wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson, opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal, and India’s finishing all-rounder Shivam Dube have been named for the Zimbabwe tour. Following India’s delay in the Caribbean, these three Indian star cricketers failed to join Team India’s camp for the first 2 T20Is.
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However, as per reports from The Hindu, all three Samson, Jaiswal, and Dube have taken their flight to Harare and will be joining the India camp ahead of the 3rd T20 to be played against Zimbabwe on the 10th of July.
Jaiswal can be seen as the first-choice opener alongside skipper Gill. Even the IPL veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, Sanju Samson, may find a role in the team as he can replace the underperforming Dhruv Jurel. With the lack of hitting prowess in the Indian lineup, even Dube may find his spot in the starting XI as soon as he lands in Harare.
With the better-off batters playing alongside them, even Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Abhishek Sharma will be hoping to find their groove with the willow. In the quest to defend their title in the T20 World Cup 2026, India is looking to build a squad that can be capable of the same.
