The pacer Tushar Deshpande, along with all-rounders Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag, made their debuts for Team India ahead of the T20I series in Zimbabwe, which begins on July 6.
The five-game series’ opening game is scheduled for July 6 at the Harare Sports Club. The final Twenty20 International will take place on July 14 at the same location as the other five games.
Abhishek Sharma, who had a breakout IPL 2024 season with 484 runs, stated in a video released by the BCCI that he received a call after his selection from Punjab teammate Shubman Gill, who also happens to be the captain for the tour after India arrived in Harare.
“I received a call from Gill after the selection, I felt very good. Before my interview, when I reached home, my parents were giving interviews. I felt proud. Ever since I started from day one, I had the dream of playing for India. I knew if I kept working hard I would get an opportunity but did not know I would go outside India, to Zimbabwe. This feels like a reunion,” said Abhishek.
“I forgot where I put my passport and phone”- Riyan Parag
https://x.com/BCCI/status/1808359313217360116
A unique video, which the Board of Control for Cricket in India released, showed the young players talking about their selection for the journey as they departed for Zimbabwe on Tuesday, July 2. The Assamese footballer expressed his joy at joining the squad and embarking on a journey with them, something he had always dreamed of since he was a young child. Despite the team’s inexperience, Parag said that there are a lot of players he is familiar with from previous games.
“Since I was a child, I’ve always wanted to travel this way. We often play cricket, but there are other experiences too, like traveling with the team and wearing the Indian team uniform” Riyan Parag said.
“I was so excited that I forgot where I put my passport and phone. I didn’t lose them, just misplaced them. But now I have them. It’s a new team, almost completely new. There are many new players in the Indian squad, but also some familiar ones since I’ve played with them before,” Riyan Parag added.
Squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), 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.
