Shubman Gill Named India Captain; Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma Get Maiden Call-Ups For T20I Series Vs Zimbabwe

New Delhi: Shubman Gill has been appointed as the captain of Indian team for the first time while Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag and Tushar Deshpande got their maiden national call-ups as the BCCI announced a 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Notably, baring a couple of players who are a part of the Indian team in the ongoing T20 World Cup in USA and West Indies have been rested. Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed, who are a part of the travelling reserves in the T20 World Cup 2024 have found their names in the Zimbabwe series.

For the unknown, Gill is also a part of the travelling reserves for T20 World Cup 2024. The Zimbabwe tour comprises five T20 Internationals, beginning July 6. Youngsters Parag, Abhishek and Reddy were rewarded for their exploits in the last IPL. Also featuring in the 15-member squad are Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who were on the bench during the T20 World Cup.

Gill and Avesh, who were part of travelling reserves for India’s T20 World Cup campaign, were released after the team finished their group stage matches as they were unlikely to feature in any of the remaining games. As far as the newcomers are concerned, Abhishek and Parag dominated IPL-17 the most with their brilliant batting.

Punjab batsman Abhishek, who represent Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, had blazed away to 484 runs while Rajasthan Royals’ Parag, the first player from Assam to be picked in the senior Indian team, amassed 573 runs.

India’s squad for T20I series against 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.