The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the inclusion of Bharadwaj Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, and Jitesh Sharma to the India squad for the initial couple of matches in the five-match T20I series. They will be replacing Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson in the 15-man squad.
In a release, the Men’s selection committee expressed the interest in adding the trio as a cover for the players stuck in Barbados following India’s T20 World Cup triumph. At the onset of the cycle, Bernyl halted proceedings at the Grantley Adams International Airport, accompanied by heavy rainfall and storms across the Windward islands and surrounding regions.
Team India was supposed to leave for New York on July 30 at 11 AM and then land at Mumbai via Dubai. 
Sudharsan played a pivotal role for the Gujarat Titans, scoring 527 runs in 12 innings at an average of 47.91 and a strike rate of 141.28. Rana was impressive for the champions Kolkata Knight Riders, scalping 19 wickets at an average of 20.15. While Jitesh did not have a rosy time during IPL 2024, the selectors backed him to give a longer run.
Earlier, the BCCI announced Shubman Gill as the captain for the particular series with VVS Laxman as the coach. Various players such as Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Tushar Deshpande earned maiden India call-up on the back of impressive IPL 2024 performances.
The first T20I between India and Zimbabwe starts on July 6 at the Harare Sports Club, Harare.
India’s squad for 1st & 2nd T20I
Shubman Gill (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Harshit Rana
