On Saturday, 6 July, the five-match T20I series between India and Zimbabwe got underway at the Harare Sports Club. This will be the first assignment for Team India as the new T20 world champions; therefore, expectations are quite high. At the helm of affairs is the bright talent Shubman Gill, who has been handed over the reins of captaincy.
Notably missing from the first two games are all players who played for the T20 World Cup-winning squad. Shivam Dube, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson had been part of the squad announced initially. They, however, could not make it for the first couple of matches owing to their late arrival from Barbados. Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana had been called up as replacements to fill up the gap.
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The series-opener saw India hand debuts to three players: Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, and Abhishek Sharma. Of these, just Jurel has prior international experience, having made his Test debut earlier this year. For Parag and Sharma, this series has been the first call-up, a high point in their careers.
Mukesh Kumar takes no time to strike 🔥🙌#SonySportsNetwork #ZIMvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/KMIitsZmWd
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 6, 2024
Captain Shubman Gill won the toss and decided to bowl first. His decision paid off right at the beginning. Right-arm pacer Mukesh Kumar justified his decision by striking in his very first over. The first ball of the second over, Mukesh, sent Innocent Kaia back to the pavilion for a golden duck. He had dragged the ball onto stumps in an attempt to drive as the Zimbabwe opener.
At the time of going to press, Zimbabwe were 21 for 1 in the fourth over. Brian Bennett has looked good for his start, beginning with three fours in a row. The hopes of the hosts will now lie with Bennett, who looks to build on this start and see them through to a good total.
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On another note, this series opens a window for young Indian talent that would like to play in an international platform. In short, this is setting a tone regarding the future of India in T20 games. As the matches unfold, fans eagerly await how these new blood types will work under pressure and contribute to team success.
