Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel and Riyan Parag make India debut in 1st T20I against Zimbabwe
Published - 06 Jul 2024, 04:02 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:15 AM
For the first time since becoming the T20I world champions, Team India will be in action as they will be locking horns against Zimbabwe in the first game of the five-match series. The series opener is scheduled to take place on Saturday (July 6) in Harare.
No player from India's World Cup-winning squad is a part of the team at least for the first two games. The likes of Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson were named in the team but were later replaced as the Indian team's departure from Barbados after the World Cup final was delayed due to a hurricane. They have been replaced by Harshit Rana, Sai Sudharsan, and Jitesh Sharma for the first two games.
Three debutants for Team India:
For the first game against Zimbabwe, Team India have included as many as three uncapped players in the playing eleven. Abhishek Sharma, Dhruv Jurel, and Riyan Parag have been given the opportunity to make their debut in the shortest format of the game.
Sharma's debut was confirmed by captain Shubman Gill on Friday itself when he confirmed that he and the left-handed batsman would be opening the innings in the series. And the team management has decided to hand debuts to Jurel and Parag as well. Sharma and Parag earned their maiden call-up from the Indian team after impressing in this year's IPL.
Sharma played a key role in Sunrisers Hyderabad's march to the final as he impressed one and all with his attacking display in the competition. In 16 games, he had scored 484 runs at a strike-rate of more than 204 with the help of a staggering 42 sixes.
Parag had a fine outing too as he enjoyed a breakthrough season in IPL. The right-handed batsman finished the tournament as the third-highest run-getter, scoring 573 runs with the help of 4 fifties. On the other hand, Jurel did not make a big impact in the IPL this year but had impressed in last year's IPL. Before the IPL, Jurel made his debut in Tests during the series against England and enjoyed a good outing.
