Batting all-rounders Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag make their debuts for the Indian National Cricket Team today. Dhruv Jurel made his T20I debut for the national side as well.
India is currently taking on Zimbabwe in the first of five T20Is between the two teams. Only a week removed from the Men in Blue’s triumphant campaign at the 2024 T20 World Cup, the India vs Zimbabwe tour is being used as a platform for young players on the sidelines of the national team to get some game time in team India jerseys.
Being played at the Harare Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe, the first match saw India win the toss and choose to bowl first under the captaincy of Shubman Gill.
3 Players Make T20I Debut For India Vs Zimbabwe
As for the debutants for India, first up is Abhishek Sharma, the explosive opener who has been on the cusp of an India call-up for some time now. A regular in the List A circuit and former vice-captain of India A.
Abhishek Sharma is one of the most explosive limited-overs batters in the world. Having impressed in domestic cricket and the IPL for the past couple of years, his best performance came in IPL 2024, where he, along with Travis Head, formed arguably one of the best opening pairs in league history.
He scored 484 runs in 16 IPL games as Sunrisers Hyderabad made it to the final. While his average was a modestly solid 32.27, he had an eye-watering strike rate of 204.22.
Next is Riyan Parag, someone who has been made fun of for his repeated failures in the IPL for a few seasons now. What many casual fans did not know was that Parag was one of the best players on the domestic circuit for Assam at the same time. The middle-order batter/off-spinner.
Check Out: 3 Players Make T20I Debut For India Vs Zimbabwe
He started 2024 in style, being the highest run scorer in the 2023–24 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 22-year-old then had his best IPL season to date. Scoring 583 runs in 16 games for the Rajasthan Royals, Parag had an average of 52.09 and a strike rate of 149.21, taking his team to the playoffs.
Last but not least, there is Dhruv Jurel, who has already made his debut for India in whites. In three Test matches for India against England earlier this year, Jurel scored 190 runs in four innings with an average of 63.33, which involved a brilliant 90. He was also mightily impressed with his wicket-keeping.
While the 23-year-old might not have impressed in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals too much, he has been doing well in the domestic circuit for Uttar Pradesh.
With three players making their debuts for India in T20Is today, this series might be the start of a new era for Indian cricket. The India squad for the first T20I India vs Zimbabwe is as follows:
Shubman Gill (C), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed.
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