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Sports Reporter
WORLD Cup winners India are expected to arrive in Zimbabwe today for a T20I series that gets underway in Harare at the weekend.
Zimbabwe Cricket spokesperson Darlington Majonga yesterday confirmed the tourists will be landing for the five-match T20I series that gets underway on Saturday and ends on July 14. The Indians are set to make Zimbabwe their first stop just days after ending a decade long trophy drought by clinching the 2024 T20 World Cup.
They will be led by former national team player VVS Laxman, who was appointed interim coach for this tour replacing Rahul Dravid, whose tenure ended at the ICC T20 World Cup when they beat South Africa in the final by seven runs last Saturday for their second T20 world title.
With the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja after the T20 World Cup, the Indian cricket team will be ushered into a new era of T20Is from the Zimbabwe tour.
The Asians have rested some of their senior players, with only three players from the World Cup winning side making their way to Zimbabwe.
The Indians will be captained by Shubman Gill on this tour. The 24-year-old was part of the World Cup venture along with star left-handed opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal (22) and Sanju Samson (29) who both unfortunately did not get a chance to play any matches at the global tournament.
The 15-member team also includes the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has led India in the past, along with uncapped players like Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah was confident they will still claim the series in Zimbabwe despite resting most of their seniors.
“We have the biggest bench strength, only three players from this (T20 World Cup) team are going to Zimbabwe. We can field three teams if the need arises,” he said
India beat South Africa by seven runs in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to end the 11-year wait for an ICC title.
The Rohit Sharma-led side successfully managed to defend the total of 176 runs in the final played at Kensington Oval in Barbados by restricting the Proteas to 169/8 in 20 overs.
India squad
Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube.
Online Reporter