Ishan Kishan-Shreyas Iyer international careers over? Ex India chief selector reveals shocking truth

While the Indian team is currently celebrating the T20 World Cup victory in Mumbai, a young Indian team is busy preparing for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.

The series will be getting underway later this week. The selectors have rested most of the players who were in the World Cup squad and have named a youthful side for the series. Shubman Gill has been named the captain for the T20I series. From the T20 World Cup squad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube were named in the team for the Zimbabwe series.

However, they will not be able to play in the first two games due to the late arrival from Barbados and have been replaced by Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, and Jitesh Sharma. They will be available for the last three games.

The series will give several players to make a mark in international cricket. As many as four uncapped players have been named in the squad. Abhishek Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel are yet to play a T20I and can make their debut in the upcoming series. Of the four, only Jurel has the experience of international cricket so far, having played in the Test series against England earlier this year.

And ahead of the series, former India wicketkeeper and selector Saba Karim has said he would like to see Abhishek open the innings with either Gill or Ruturaj Gaikwad. Karim said that Gill can bat at number three as well. 

"Personally, I'd love to see Abhishek open with either Shubman or Ruturaj, Shubman can come to bat at one down as well. I'm not sure at this stage when Sanju Samson will join the side, he may join later.

"Till then, I'd love to see this combination and when Yashasvi Jaiswal and Samson are there then you imagine they will take the opening slot and number 3 position respectively," Karim told SportsNow.

Saba Karim on Ishan and Iyer's absence:

Saba Karim also shared his views on Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's absence from the Indian squad for the Zimbabwe series. Both the players fell out of favor with the selectors earlier this year but were expected to cut the Zimbabwe tour especially Iyer who led Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL this in May. 

However, the selectors have once again ignored the duo. Speaking on it, Karim said that the selectors decided because they wanted to send youngsters on the tour. He also backed both Iyer and Kishan to get the chance to reclaim their place in the team.

"They will get many opportunities because if you look at the size of the team that has gone to Zimbabwe in the past several years, I remember even during our term, this is actually not a second-string side.

"What the Indian selectors look at is to give opportunities to youngsters who have yet to play international cricket, and they try and balance it with some cricketers," said Karim.

"I think that's what the selectors have done this time around, so Ishan's name and Shreyas not being there doesn't mean they will not get opportunities going forward. There are a number of bilateral engagements coming up in white ball cricket and I'm sure both these cricketers, we will see more of them in some of the upcoming series," he added.

The series between India and Zimbabwe is scheduled to begin on July 6. All the five games will be played in Harare.