3 Shocking calls made by Indian selectors while selecting India squad for Zimbabwe T20I tour

Shubman Gill will lead India’s 15-member side against Zimbabwe in the five-match T20I series.

After the conclusion of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024,, the Indian team will tour Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series. On Monday 24th June, the Indian selection committee announced a 15-member squad, which included a number of new faces.

For the first time in his career, Shubman Gill has been given the responsibility to lead the national team. The seniors who are part of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 have been rested; only Samson and Jaiswal from the T20 World Cup squad are picked for the Zimbabwe tour.

Players like Nitish Reddy, Dhurv Jurel, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag and Tushar Deshpande have received their maiden T20I call-ups. But then there have been some surprising calls made while announcing the squad, about which we will talk here.

3 shocking calls made in the India squad for Zimbabwe T20I tour:

1. End of Road for Yuzvendra Chahal

When India announced the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, they picked four spinners, including Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg-spinner made his comeback to the squad after more than a year. But he hasn’t had a chance to play a game in the T20 World Cup so far.

Now that he has been excluded from the team on the Zimbabwe tour as well, it indicates that we have perhaps seen the last of Chahal in the T20I setup, and the selectors are looking for younger spinners with Sunar and Bishnoi getting selected.

2. No Way Home for Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan

Among the surprising calls were the continuous exclusion of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. There were some speculations that these two stars might make a comeback on the Zimbabwe tour after getting sacked from the central contracts. Ishan has had a decent IPL 2024, while Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title.

But despite that success, Iyer couldn’t impress the selectors. He and Kishan were not picked in the squad with Dhruv Jurel getting a call-up as the second keeper in the squad. It looks like Iyer and Ishan might have to wait a long time to make their respective comebacks in the Indian team.

3. Captaincy Choice

One of the most notable calls was the captain’s choice. The selectors have made Shubman Gill the captain of the team, despite Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson being in the squad. Gaikwad led India at the Asian games last year. Adding to that, Gaikwad had a better season than Gill in the IPL 2024. Gaikwad scored 583 runs, while Gill scored 426 runs. Samson has been leading Rajasthan Royals in the last few years and has twice marched them into the semi-finals.

This decision means that the selectors are looking to invest in Shubman Gill as the future captain of the team.

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