Team India is all set to take on Zimbabwe in the third T20I on Wednesday in Harare. Opener Abhishek Sharma broke several records with his maiden T20I century against Zimbabwe in the second T20I of the five-match series on Sunday. Abhishek’s knock helped India defeat Zimbabwe by 100 runs and level the series 1-1. This match will be a special one for India as the T20 World Cup winners Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube have also joined the squad. Shubman Gill and co are likely to make a few changes to their lineup, in order to include Jaiswal in the Playing XI.

Abhishek, the left-handed opener, did enough to live up to his pre-series hype with a 46-ball century in only his second game and did look the part opening the innings.

However, Jaiswal, with a handsome strike rate of 161 plus in 17 T20I matches, including a hundred and four half-centuries, does have the first claim to be skipper Shubman Gill’s opening partner by virtue of being the reserve opener of the first-choice T20 team.

Although rare but it is not uncommon for batters to be dropped in the very next match after a milestone innings.

But skipper Gill is unlikely to let that happen with his best friend since their U-14 days and someone who scored his first international ton with a willow borrowed from the former.

So, it could well be a case of one of the two southpaws batting at one drop. Sanju Samson, who normally bats at No. 3 for Rajasthan Royals, might come in at No.5, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, who batted at No.3, will probably drop down a place to No.4.

As far as Zimbabwe is concerned, their batting has left a lot to be desired with scores of 115 while batting first and 134 in the second essay chasing 235.

On the Harare Sports Club track where there is a bit of extra bounce available for the spinners, Ravi Bishnoi (6/24 from 8 overs) and Washington Sundar (3/39 in 8 overs) have proved to be unplayable at times.

Bishnoi, who normally bowls 20 to 22 googlies in his 24 balls per match, has varied his pace brilliantly and with home skipper Sikandar Raza being kept quiet, the other batters haven’t looked good enough to counter the Indian bowling attack.

India’s Predicted XI for the 3rd T20I: Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar

(With PTI Inputs)

Young Abhishek Sharma announced his arrival on the big stage with a breathtaking 46-ball century as India pummelled Zimbabwe by a whopping 100 runs in the second T20I to restore parity in a resounding fashion in Harare on Sunday. This is India’s biggest margin of victory in terms of runs against Zimbabwe in T20Is. The young Indian side didn’t carry the baggage of a shock-13-run defeat in the series-opener as left-handed opener Abhishek blended power with grace for a scintillating 100-run knock that propelled India to a massive 234 for two on a track where batting wasn’t exactly easy.

The ask was already stiff and Indian bowlers got breakthroughs at regular intervals to bowl out Zimbabwe for 134 in 18.4 overs to set the record straight.

Pacers Mukesh Kumar (3/37) and Avesh Khan (3/15) removed the top-order inside the Powerplay to kill the contest which became a formality after that.

The day certainly belonged to Abhishek, who mixed grace and power in equal measure in an innings, embellished with eight sixes and seven fours.

It made a normally stylish Ruturaj Gaikwad (77 not out off 47 balls) look pale in comparison during their 137-run stand for the second wicket.

His innings would also increase the headache for skipper Shubman Gill and stand-in coach VVS Laxman, who would need to take a tough call when Yashasvi Jaiswal is available from the third game.

After his century, there is no way that the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener can be dropped from the playing XI.

Having endured the disappointment of a four-ball duck on debut, Abhishek never looked under pressure on a track which his senior partner and current CSK partner Gaikwad found “difficult to feel set”. The hallmark of his innings was fearlessness as he took calculated risks which paid off and allowed Gaikwad at the other end to get into the groove after playing and missing for the better part of his innings.

Abhishek got a reprieve on 27 when Wellington Masakadza dropped a regulation skier off Luke Jongwe. He never looked back after that.

Having started his international run account with a pulled six off-spinner Brian Bennett, who had got the better of him on Saturday.

His fifty came off another pulled six behind square off medium pacer Dion Myers, whose 28-run over actually opened the floodgates during the back-10 for the visitors.

The shot that was most pleasing to the eye was his inside out six off rival skipper Sikandar Raza, lofting his off-break with the turn over extra cover boundary. If that was elegance personified, the manner in which he muscled left-arm spinner Masakadza into the orbit with back-to-back sixes was a testimony to his brute power.

He raised his milestone hundred when he guided a wayward full-toss on leg-stump behind the square for a maximum before being dismissed off the very next delivery.

On return to the dug-out, he was congratulated by his skipper and best friend Shubman Gill, who once again had an indifferent outing.

The poor fielding effort also hurt Zimbabwe as they also dropped Gaikwad’s catch, who took off from where Abhishek had left, creaming off 87 runs off 36 balls for the third wicket with Rinku Singh (48 not out off 22 balls), who also made merry with five huge sixes.

The total was India’s highest against Zimbabwe in T20 Internationals, surpassing previous best of 186, a fitting comeback after an inexplicable batting collapse in the opening game.

The Indian pacers despite the usage of long handle by No. 3 Bennett (26 off 9 balls) were on target as Mukesh cleaned up two batters with slightly back of the length off-cutters.

Avesh’s nasty snorter was something that opposition skipper Sikander Raza least expected while trying to fend being hit on the helmet.

Once Ravi Bishnoi (2/11 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (1/28 in 4 overs) came into operation, the Zimbabwe batters weren’t able to hit them.

The difference certainly was extra bounce generated by off-spinner Washington and the pace at which Bishnoi consistently bowled his googlies.

With the series levelled at 1-1, it is expected that Sanju Samson will replace Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps, Shivam Dube with his all-round skills will come in place of Sai Sudharsan and Riyan Parag might have to sacrifice his place for Jaiswal in the match scheduled on July 10.

India vs Zimbabwe Live Streaming 2nd T20I Live Telecast: When And Where To Watch Match Live© Instagram

India’s 13-run defeat to 12th-ranked Zimbabwe came after the young Indian batting lineup collapsed and were bowled out for just 102 runs. Captain Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar were the only two batters to score more than 20 runs, as the entire middle order failed to fire. From debutants Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag to first team hopefuls Rinku Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad, it was a day to forget for Team India. Parag and Rinku, in particular, faced a lot of backlash from unhappy fans on social media.

Riyan Parag – who became the first player of Assam and north-eastern India to play for Team India – did not have the best debut, making just 2 runs in 3 balls. Rinku made even less, getting out for a two-ball duck.

Recently, Riyan Parag had made a statement that he does not like to watch the T20 World Cup as he’d rather play in it. Fans attacked the statement as Parag faltered in his first India innings.

On the other hand, Rinku had narrowly missed out on India’s 15-member T20 World Cup 2024 squad, as India favoured Shivam Dube and extra spinners. Hoping to impress in the Zimbabwe tour, Rinku, who has had a short but successful T20 career so far, failed to fire and take India to victory.

India have picked a host of debutants and youngsters in their squad for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. With most of the T20 World Cup squad rested, the side is being led by Shubman Gill, who is making his captaincy debut for India.

Earlier, India had restricted Zimbabwe to just 115, courtesy of Ravi Bishnoi‘s 4/13. However, Zimbabwe, who had failed to qualify for the 20-team T20 World Cup altogether, put up an inspired bowling performance to bundle India out for just 102 in Harare.

Our very own once the academy topper from IPL batch, Riyan Parag started his international on high notes pic.twitter.com/CTMGS4TicJ

— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) July 6, 2024

Riyan Parag is officially a meme material #INDvsZIM pic.twitter.com/JOydP7EsPl

— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) July 6, 2024

“Play Rinku Singh in WC”

“Get Shivam Dube a niggle”

Rinku shut down all critics with his batting show today pic.twitter.com/UBpuq3K5H2

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) July 6, 2024

Common knowledge

Shivam Dube >>> Rinku Singh pic.twitter.com/640f6Qg4h4

— (@Shivayaaah) July 6, 2024

Team India’s youngsters would look to turnaround their fortunes as the two teams square off in the second match of the series on Sunday.

A young-Indian cricket team under National Cricket Academy head VVS Laxman left for Zimbabwe to play a five-match T20I series starting in Harare on July 6. The team will be led by Shubman Gill while the likes of youngsters Riyan Parag and Abhishek Sharma have been rewarded for their exploits in the last IPL with maiden India call-ups. Skipper Gill, the reserve opener for the T20 World Cup, was on a break and will link up with the Zimbabwe-bound squad directly in Harare from the US.

The BCCI took to X to post pictures of those who boarded the flight, which includes Sharma, Parag, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Tushar Deshpande and NCA head Laxman.

Five members of the squad — Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Khaleel Ahmed were either part of the T20 World Cup-winning team or were travelling reserves are stranded in Barbados due to hurricane Beryl. They will join the squad later.

With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retiring form the shortest format of the game, the T20 series against Zimbabwe will provide the youngsters with the perfect opportunity to cement their places in the team for future series.

Jet

Set

Zimbabwe #TeamIndia | #ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/q3sFz639z7

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 1, 2024

pic.twitter.com/todNGWOyxM

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 1, 2024

India’s squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande.

Virat Kohli and Arshdeep Singh danced together after India’s win© X (Twitter)

Virat Kohli plays volleyball with Indian cricket team stars© X (formerly Twitter)

Former BCCI chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar feels India have one of the strong teams heading into the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. India take on Bangladesh in their only practice match of tournament on Saturday against Bangladesh, days before kicking off their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland in New York on June 5. The Indian team, led by captain Rohit Sharma, arrived in New York earlier this week to begin their preparations for the tournament.

Speaking at a recent event, Vengsarkar suggested that India have one of strongest squads in the tournament, despite the fact that they left out key players like KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Rinku Singh from the 15 man squad.

“The current Indian team, I think, is one of the best in the world, I would say. If you could, you know, put a Gill out or Rahul or Rinku Singh out, I’m sure it’s a very strong team. And I wish them all the success. Because, I think, it’s one of the best in the world at the moment”, Vengsarkar said at an event at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Gill and Rinku have joined the team as travelling reserves while Rahul was missing from both the lists.

Vengsarkar also pointed out that due to the uncertain nature of the format, any player can be a match-winner on a particular day.

“The key players would like to play an important role in this T20 World Cup. It’s very difficult to say in this format because everybody is a very important member of the team. But the thing is that, as you have seen in IPL, the first six were very important. How you give a good start in the first six was very important. And of course, in this format, anything can happen. But I can’t say X, Y or Z is a key player in the team. In this format, anybody can win the match at any time of the match,” he added.

India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Ireland, Canada and T20 World Cup co-hosts USA.

Virat Kohli was absent from the team training this week as he is due to reach New York few hours before India’s warm-up match.

Celebrations are not stopping anytime soon in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp as the Shreyas Iyer-led side lifted the coveted IPL 2024 trophy. The Kolkata-based franchise played phenomenal cricket throughout the season, bringing out some extraordinary knocks and breathtaking spells. In the summit clash, they easily dominated Sunrisers Hyderabad with both bat and ball and registered a big eight-wicket victory. After waiting for a decade, KKR finally added the third IPL trophy in their cabinet. They earlier clinched the title in 2012 and 2014.

Amid all the celebrations, KKR batter Rinku Singh gave fans a hilarious moment to cherish. As everyone from the KKR camp was celebrating at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, Rinku tried his hands at vlogging.

In a video going viral on social media, Rinku welcomed his viewers and requested them to subscribe his channel and press the bell icon. However, he fumbled while saying all this, which left Nitish Rana, his wife, and Anukul Roy in splits.

“Hello guys, welcome to new vlog. Subscribe kar lo. Ghanta button daba do. We have won the final trophy. My dream has come true. This my didi (Rana’s wife), bhaiya (Rana) and Anukul,” Rinku said. 

Rinku singhpic.twitter.com/3LC7WVH39B

— Gambhir (@Karn975) May 26, 2024

“Outstanding feeling right now. Dream has come true – I have been here for 7 years and we are so happy. Credit to GG sir. I will finally lift the IPL trophy. It was God’s plan,” said Rinku after KKR’s victory.

As the IPL 2024 has ended, everyone’s eyes are now set on the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will kick-start from June 1, co-hosted by United States and the West Indies.

Rinku, who stunned everyone with his blistering knocks in IPL 2023, had an average outing with the bat in this edition. Resulting which, he was snubbed from Team India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup.

However, Rinku has been named as the travelling reserve, along with Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed.

First batch of the India squad reached New York on Monday, where they will be squaring off against Ireland in their campaign opener on June 5.

Rinku Singh gets INR 55 lakh at KKR© BCCI/Sportzpics