NEW DELHI: When the Indian T20 team takes on Zimbabwe in the five-match series that begins in Harare on Saturday, they will travel to find themselves without their usual talismans, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in their bid to uncover their future treasures.
Shubman Gillreserves in the T20 World Cup team, and some IPL players will press the refresh button even as the excitement of winning the T20 World Cup spreads across India.
During the series, which is scheduled to be played in the Zimbabwean capital, all new players are anticipated to make their international debut.
The two youngsters who could make their debut are Riyan Paraga young Assamese player who has shown a lot of potential as a T20 hitter, and Punjab’s Abhishek Sharma, who had an amazing IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both meet all the requirements for this format.
Even both Rohit and Kohli have missed several bilateral series in the last few years, especially in the shortest format, the official departure of the format will undoubtedly be felt more keenly.
It will be difficult to match the abilities and qualities that the two contemporary greats bring to the table, but as a way of doing it, keeping the old must give way to the new.
Zimbabwe are not the strongest opponents, but in the Twenty20 format, the difference between the two teams is not as great as in the other two formats.
Hosts, led by fearless men Sikandar Razaformer IPL player for Punjab Kings, can be quite a force on a windy day at the Harare Sports Club, where the ball will jiggle around as the afternoon progresses.
The youngster will stay on course as the first team member of the world champion team returns to national service thanks to some strong performances in this series.
From the third match, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be available; some young people will only have a few games to demonstrate their abilities.
There won’t be many openings in the starting eleven as players like Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav, who is expected to be his deputy, returns to T20Is in the future. In the shortest format, the national team will play 34 games between now and the 2026 T20 World Cup in India.
Although Gill’s captaincy is anticipated to open, it remains to be seen if his closest friend Abhishek gets his first Indian captaincy or if CSK captain and Asian Games gold-winning squad captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is selected.
Gaikwad can bat third or swap places with the Punjab southpaw if Abhishek starts. Compared to Abhishek, Parag has a better chance to make his debut as he can bat at No. 4, a position he has carved out for the Royals.
In this new line-up, Rinku Singh – appointed to the Indian T20 team for the coming year – is expected to bat at No. 5, with Dhruv Jurel or Jitesh Sharma batting at No. 6 and wearing a big glove.
Based on the selection pattern, Jurel started this series as a backup keeper behind Sanju Samson, but Jitesh was a late addition due to the unavailability of World Cup squad players.
As a result, Jurel, who had a strong Test debut against England, will probably start the first two matches before Samson arrives.
A highly consistent death bowler, Mukesh Kumar, can become the third seamer to surpass Harshit Rana, who excels as a slogger with the willow, in the bowling department. Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed were the two standbys during the T20 World Cup.
With his versatility, Washington Sundar will hold his position until Dube gets there, while Ravi Bishnoi is expected to feature in every match.
shift:
India (first 2 games): Shubman Gill (c), 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
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (captain), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava , Milton Shumba