Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan fast bowler Ashok Sharma was handed his maiden India cap ahead of the first T20I of the three-match series against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in Harare on Thursday, July 23.
After winning the toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bowl first, with the visitors naming the 24-year-old in the playing XI for his international debut. The BCCI later shared photos from the cap presentation ceremony on X, showing Ashok proudly posing with his debut cap. The post was captioned:
“A special moment ahead of the series opener in Harare! Congratulations to Ashok Sharma, who is all set to make his #TeamIndia Debut 👏👏.”
A special moment ahead of the series opener in Harare!
Congratulations to Ashok Sharma, who is all set to make his #TeamIndia Debut 👏👏
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/NKa0znQQ3H#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/veS4gEKdom
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 23, 2026
Ashok represented Gujarat Titans (GT) in IPL 2026, playing six matches and taking six wickets at an average of 38.00. He maintained a strike rate of 21.0 and an economy of 10.85, with his best spell of 2/32 coming against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Overall, the 24-year-old has featured in 16 T20 matches, picking up 28 wickets at an average of 20.42, while boasting a strike rate of 12.4 and an economy rate of 9.83. His best figures in the format stand at 4/16.
ZIM vs IND 2026 1st T20I: Playing XIs Announced
Zimbabwe will have the first opportunity to bat in the opening T20I after India skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to field. India handed a debut cap to Ashok Sharma, while Zimbabwe introduced two debutants, Newman Nyamhuri and Ben Curran, into their playing XI.
Playing XIs of both teams:
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav.
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wicketkeeper), Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (captain), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani.
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