Shubman Gill can wrap up his first series win as India captain today as the team take on Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I of the five-match series. India head into the contest with a 2-1 lead. After a shock defeat in the first game, India bounced back in tremendous style with a 100-run win. The third T20I was a closer affair, with a valiant Zimbabwe falling just 23 runs short. Ahead of a decisive fourth T20I, let’s take a look at India’s possible XI for the game.

1. Shubman Gill (c) – The captain stays, having been India’s top run-scorer in two of the three T20Is, including a solid 66 in the previous T20I.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal – Having returned from the third T20I, Jaiswal contributed 36 off 27 balls and will surely keep his place in the side.

3. Abhishek Sharma – The swashbuckling southpaw may have been demoted to no. 3, but there is no case for him to be dropped for the rest of the series after his exceptional century in the second T20I.

4. Ruturaj Gaikwad – The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has quietly adapted well to middle-order duties, and narrowly missed out on a second successive half-century in the third T20I. Gaikwad is India’s leading run-scorer in the series so far.

5. Sanju Samson (wk) – Another player who joined after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 celebrations, Samson should keep his place in the XI as the wicket-keeper batsman.

6. Rinku Singh – Rinku Singh showed his finishing power in the second T20I with a 22-ball 48, and will keep his place in the side.

7. Shivam Dube – Despite playing every game for India in the T20 World Cup, Dube is expected to continue in the XI against Zimbabwe, being one of the more senior players in the squad.

8. Washington Sundar – Washington is making a great case for a regular India spot in the post-Ravindra Jadeja era in T20Is, having impressed with both bat and ball so far in the series. He finished with figures of 3/15 and won the ‘Player of the Match’ in the third T20I.

9. Ravi Bishnoi – The leg-spinner was the world’s no. 1 T20I bowler not too long ago, and will surely play every match in the series.

10. Tushar Deshpande – With Avesh Khan going for runs in the third T20I, a debut could be on the horizon for CSK star Tushar Deshpande.

11. Khaleel Ahmed – The left-arm seamer has been brilliant up front, and showed his class once again in the third T20I, giving away just 15 runs in his four-over spell.

“I am ahead of the trend,” Ruturaj Gaikwad captioned the post on his Instagram story.© BCCI

Former India skipper MS Dhoni celebrated his 43rd birthday on Sunday in Mumbai. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter and his wife Sakshi are presently in Mumbai to attend the Sangeet celebrations of Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani’s wedding. Dhoni celebrated his birthday in the company of Sakshi with Bollywood star Salman Khan. The Chennai Super Kings skipper enjoys a large and loyal fan base, that never fail to show their love towards Dhoni. On Sunday, A very heartwarming video from Dhoni’s residence in Ranchi got viral on social media.

To celebrate Dhoni’s birthday, many fans gathered outside his house in Ranchi. Despite Dhoni’s absence, his parents made sure to make all his fans happy.

All the fans who gathered outside Dhoni’s residence were treated with sweets and cake by his parents. This beautiful gesture from ‘Thala’s’ parents won many hearts all over the country.

Dhoni Distributed cake and sweets to the fans who waited outside his farmhouse!!!

Ms dhoni will always be remembered as a Good Human Being!!!pic.twitter.com/UY8BCISRQK

— AnishCSK(@TheAnishh) July 8, 2024

Earlier on Sunday, a video of Dhoni cutting his birthday cake in the early hours of July 7 went viral, and Salman Khan is seen standing alongside Dhoni and his wife Sakshi.

Later, Salman Khan took to social media to wish Dhoni on his 43rd birthday.

Happy Birthday Kaptaan Sahab!@msdhoni pic.twitter.com/2bjCTNWRil

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 6, 2024

“Happy Birthay Kaptaan Sahab (Captain)!” tweeted Salman Khan, with a picture of the two from the birthday celebrations.

Dhoni then received a video call from Ruturaj Gaikwad, the man to whom he had passed over the captaincy of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. Mukesh Kumar and Tushar Deshpande – Gaikwad’s teammates on the Zimbabwe tour – were also seen in the video call. Deshpande also plays for CSK.

In the video, Dhoni is seen sporting his new shorter haircut, a picture of which was shared by famous hair stylist Aalim Hakim last month.

Dhoni is not the only high-profile former India captain born in July. Sourav Ganguly was born on July 8, whilst Sunil Gavaskar was born on July 10.

Wicket-keeper batsman Dhruv Jurel proved that he is one for the future, as he made a superb run-out during India’s second T20I against Zimbabwe. What made it even more special was that Jurel’s genius run-out happened on the birthday of perhaps India’s greatest ever wicket-keeper batsman, MS Dhoni. After a shocking loss to Zimbabwe in the first of five T20Is, a youthful India side needed to bounce back. And so they did, with moments like Jurel’s run-out played a crucial part.

After Abhishek Sharma‘s swashbuckling ton guided India to a mammoth 234 in 20 overs, the Zimbabwe run chase never got going. With the opposition stuck at 76/6, Jurel grabbed his moment to shine on the first ball of the 12th over.

Watch: Dhruv Jurel’s sensational run-out

Only hits no misses for @dhruvjurel21 #SonySportsNetwork #ZIMvIND #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/3XxkMT6W5B

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 7, 2024

Zimbabwe batsman Wellington Masakadza played it to the leg side and hoped to sneak a quick single. Not under Jurel’s watch, though. The 23-year-old ran to fetch the ball, turned around and threw it all the way to the non-striker’s wicket. He hit bullseye, and Masakadza was well short.

It is a run-out that MS Dhoni would’ve certainly been proud of. The former India captain turned 43 on July 7, and celebrated his birthday in the company of Bollywood icon Salman Khan.

After the game, Jurel took to X to wish Dhoni on his birthday.

Happy birthday, Mahi bhai. Thank you for inspiring millions around the world (including me) to take up the sport pic.twitter.com/oAAY2qSMqe

— Dhruv Jurel (@dhruvjurel21) July 7, 2024

Jurel, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, is making his first T20I appearances in the tour to Zimbabwe. After the 2024 T20 World Cup win – and the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from T20Is – Shubman Gill is leading a young Team India..

Earlier this year, Jurel had made his mark in red-ball cricket, playing the final three Tests in England’s tour of India. He impressed, winning the Player of the Match award as India won the fourth Test of the series.

Although Rishabh Pant is the undisputed first-choice wicket-keeper batsman for India, performances like these could help Jurel establish himself as a regular in blue.

Legendary former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni celebrated his 43rd birthday in the company of Bollywood icon Salman Khan in Mumbai. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Ruturaj Gaikwad also took some time away from his Zimbabwe tour with Team India to wish MS Dhoni via a video call. Dhoni and his wife Sakshi are presently in Mumbai to attend the Sangeet celebrations of Mukesh Ambani’s son Anant Ambani’s wedding. A video of Dhoni cutting his birthday cake in the early hours of July 7 went viral, and Salman Khan is seen standing alongside Dhoni and his wife Sakshi.

Later, Salman Khan took to social media to wish Dhoni on his 43rd birthday.

“Happy Birthay Kaptaan Sahab (Captain)!” tweeted Salman Khan, with a picture of the two from the birthday celebrations.

MS Dhoni’s birthday celebration with Sakshi and Salman Khan. pic.twitter.com/p2iqhR3600

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 7, 2024

Happy Birthday Kaptaan Sahab!@msdhoni pic.twitter.com/2bjCTNWRil

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) July 6, 2024

Dhoni then received a video call from Ruturaj Gaikwad, the man to whom he had passed over the captaincy of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. Mukesh Kumar and Tushar Deshpande – Gaikwad’s teammates on the Zimbabwe tour – were also seen in the video call. Deshpande also plays for CSK.

Ruturaj Gaikwad wished MS Dhoni on his birthday through a video call.

– The bond of Thala & Rutu…!!!! pic.twitter.com/bIDoNxgzj1

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) July 7, 2024

In the video, Dhoni is seen sporting his new shorter haircut, a picture of which was shared by famous hair stylist Aalim Hakim last month.

Dhoni is not the only high-profile former India captain born in July. Sourav Ganguly was born on July 8, whilst Sunil Gavaskar was born on July 10.

Gaikwad disappoints for India

Right after winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, a youthful India team led by Shubman Gill lost the first T20I against Zimbabwe. Gaikwad, who batted at no. 3, contributed just seven runs in nine balls, as India failed to chase down a paltry target of 116.

India take on Zimbabwe in the second of five T20Is on the very next day, and will hope to avenge an embarrassing defeat to the 12th-ranked T20I nation in the ICC rankings.

Indian cricket fans on social media have gone crazy as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s new haircut has been revealed in public. Popular hair stylist Aalim Hakim shared a few pictures of MS Dhoni‘s latest cut on Instagram, with the post drawing over 50,000 likes in the first hour. Dhoni’s long hairstyle, which he donned during IPL 2024, has made way for a shorter but more wavy version. The Chennai Super Kings star keeps his profile low outside of the IPL, but this has given MS Dhoni fans a chance to stay up to date with their idol.

“Our Young, Dynamic and Handsome Mahendra Singh Dhoni,” wrote Aalim Hakim in the caption to the post.

“It’s a pure joy to cut and style our Thala’s hair and he is always courteous enough to let me click his pictures,” wrote Hakim.

Dhoni is fondly nicknamed ‘Thala’ by Chennai Super Kings fans, which translates to “leader” in Tamil.

After IPL 2024, fans have not had much of a glimpse of the former India captain. However, this cut comes a couple of weeks after a video of Dhoni relaxing in his farmhouse in Ranchi had gone viral.

In that video, Dhoni was still donning his long hairstyle. However, this time, India’s iconic No. 7 is flaunting a shorter cut, styling it with different shades of brown.

Fans of Dhoni are still hoping for him to play again in IPL 2025. Having given up captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, and with a mega auction on the way, it is unsure whether Dhoni would carry on playing.

However, if his form is anything to go by, Dhoni should certainly keep playing. In IPL 2024, Dhoni scored 161 runs at a strike rate of 220, usually coming in to bat at a lowly no. 8.

Presently, Team India are looking to win the 2024 T20 World Cup, which was first won by Dhoni in 2007 with a young India unit.

India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed that his goal as a young cricketer was to gain the approval of MS Dhoni. Although one of the finest bowlers of his generation now with over 516 Test wickets, at one stage, Ashwin was a young player in the Chennai Super Kings squad who was yet to get a chance. In a launch event of his new book ‘I Have the Streets – A Kutti Cricket Story’, Ashwin said that it had taken him till 2009 to gain Dhoni’s attention.

Despite being picked by Chennai Super Kings in 2008, Ashwin said that Dhoni did not know of his existence in the inaugural IPL season.

“MS Dhoni didn’t even know someone like me existed in 2008. So, I made it my life goal, from 2009, to get the wicket of MS Dhoni,” Ashwin said.

“I bowled an unbelievable spell in the Challenger Trophy in Nagpur. MS struggled throughout the spell. Once, when he tried to play, the ball went through the gates. I got him out in the final,” Ashwin reminisced.

“From then on, MS Dhoni saw me as someone with skill, and the relationship matured,” he said.

While playing just two games in IPL 2009, Ashwin would turn into a key cog in CSK’s lineup from 2010, helping the franchise to their first IPL title.

“If MS decides a horse is not ready to race, he won’t use you. He needs to know you’re a horse. But once he knows you’re a horse, he will look past you only when you feel like giving up,” said Ashwin.

“That is MS Dhoni. He believes in you,” he said.

Ashwin joined India Cements in early June, and is reportedly set to take charge of the Chennai Super Kings High Performance Centre. This move also leaves the door open for Ashwin’s return to CSK next season, with the mega auction coming up before IPL 2025.

Ruturaj Gaikwad with MS Dhoni in IPL 2024© BCCI/Sportzpics

The Indian Premier League (IPL) every year bring the best of cricket talents around the world in one place. This is one tournament which top names around the world do not want to miss. The high salary as well as the exposure make IPL a lucrative tournament. Along with top players, the coaches list in the IPL is also a high-profile one. Justin Langer is part of that list. He was the coach of the Lucknow Super Giants. Being part of the high-profile franchise, owned by Sanjiv Goenka, Langer traversed the country and soaked in the cricket atmosphere. 

He was quite taken aback by the hero worship of MS Dhoni across the country.  

“It’s extraordinary. I heard about it first; then we played them [CSK] twice. They came to Lucknow, and our capacity crowd [in Ekana Stadium] is about 50,000, and honestly, there would have been 48,000 MS Dhoni number seven shirts. I couldn’t believe it, and then we went to CSK, and there wasn’t 98%; there was 100%. And it’s unbelievable. The hero worship in India is unbelievable,” said Langer while speaking on the weekly cricket podcast from BBC Sport.

“And look, I felt it when we played in India before as a player, particularly with Sachin Tendulkar. Then, when I was coaching with [Australia], Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, But when you get over there, it’s unbelievable.

He went on to say that the hero worship has its flip-side as well. 

“I saw the flip side of it as well actually, because Rohit Sharma is a huge hero in India as their captain. And what happened with Mumbai Indians this year? Hardik Pandya took over as the captain from Rohit Sharma, the much loved Rohit Sharma and it was really sad to watch. He got booed every game, that is the vice-captain of the Indian cricket team,” Langer said. 

“I learned this from Morne Morkel and Jonty Rhodes. They have been before. They told me that rather than getting upset just go with the flow. I sort of tried to explain, imagine in the EPL, in England and every single person turned up to every game in a David Beckham shirt. Yeah, it doesn’t happen, does it? It’s not even in our psychic. Like in every other country, it doesn’t make sense.”

Langer then went on to praise MS Dhoni. “But I was also taken by MS’ humility. When he walks onto the ground, he is co calm. I think it’s bit of a MS Dhoni that is happening around the world in terms of captaincy,” he said.

MS Dhoni arrived at polling booth in Ranchi to cast his vote for the Lok Sabha Elections.© X (Twitter)