Dhruv Jurel has also been picked as the second wicketkeeper, his first call-up to the T20I squad after making his Test debut earlier this year against England.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are the only two players from India’s T20 World Cup squad who are also travelling to Zimbabwe; all of the other World Cup players have been given a break after the tournament ends on June 29.
Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed, the other travelling reserves in India’s T20 World Cup squad along with Gill, are also in the squad for Zimbabwe. The team is likely to leave for Zimbabwe on July 1 and will be coached by VVS Laxman in the interim, with Rahul Dravid’s tenure ending with the T20 World Cup.
“It feels great to get this opportunity,” Abhishek said in a statement. “Finally my hard work has paid off. I will give my best and perform well for India.”
Reddy, a 21-year old seam-bowling allrounder, is believed to have impressed the selectors with his temperament in the Sunrisers top order. He made 303 runs in IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 142.92, while also delivering 13.1 overs for three wickets. Reddy, like Abhishek and Parag, was a part of the BCCI’s target group of young players who have been under the NCA’s watch over the past year.
Deshpande was the top wicket-taker for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, with 17 wickets and an economy rate of 8.83.
India play five T20Is against Zimbabwe in Harare on July 6, 7, 10, 13 and 14.
India’s squad for T20I series in Zimbabwe
Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.
