Preview: The Men in Blue are ready to take the field once more as they take on Zimbabwe in the opening game of the T20I series on July 6 at Harare Sports Club, just one week after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados. For the series, a subpar Indian team has arrived in Zimbabwe, with teenage batsman Shubman Gill leading the way.
Notably, three World Cup winners were also part of the BCCI’s Zimbabwe tour roster; however, they were forced to withdraw from the first and second Twenty20 Internationals. Before the third Twenty20 International, the team will be joined by star cricketers Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson.
In the meantime, the forthcoming T20I series appears to be a fantastic chance for the young players to succeed and hold onto their place in the national team. Three T20I team spots appear to be open following the retirement of three legendary cricketers, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. The young player has a great chance of earning a spot in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where the team will be aiming to defend their title.The new T20I cricket era and the path to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will begin in Zimbabwe, will begin with the forthcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe. Hardik Pandya is anticipated to assume full-time duties for India, commencing the series against Sri Lanka.
India Tour of Zimbabwe 2024, 2nd T20 Match, Zim vs Ind
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Date & Time: Sunday, July 07, 4:30 PM
Pitch Report: At Harare Sports Club, one can anticipate a level ground that provides ideal batting conditions. While seamers will probably need to rely on cutters and variations to succeed at this venue, the batters will take advantage of the track’s even pace and bounce to score runs. There could be a touch of turn for the spinners, especially in the second half. But because this is the first game in the series, don’t anticipate the music quality to drop off. Therefore, the toss winner may decide to bowl.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI
Zimbabwe (ZIM): T Marumani, I Kaia, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza (C), D Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande, W Madhevere, LM Jongwe, B Muzarabani, TL Chatara
India (IND): Shubman Gill (C), Abhishek Sharma, RD Gaikwad, R Parag, RK Singh, DC Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, KK Ahmed
