Despite not getting a central contract, Shreyas Iyer might join the Sri Lanka tour because of his excellent performance in the 2024 IPL season. He led his team to their third IPL title and impressed in the middle order. His recent form in the shortest format may put him in with a chance for possible consideration for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe in July.
If India captain Rohit Sharma and regular players are sent for the Test assignment in England between June and September, these white-ball assignments against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will be Gambhir’s first responsibilities as the head coach of the Indian team.
Gautam Gambhir has interviewed with the CAC and is tipped to take over from Rahul Dravid. As a result, that would mean, just a few months after he led KKR to an unprecedented title, that Perseus played a role in helping him, as a franchise mentor.
While the Indian senior team competes in the 2024 T20 World Cup, a specific group of young players is currently training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru in preparation for the Zimbabwe series starting on July 6.
“Shreyas is currently not at NCA. Here mostly those players are there, who have performed in the IPL and will be in contention for Zimbabwe selection. Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal are all at the camp. Some will go to Zimbabwe T20Is,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The young players mentioned had standout IPL seasons and are potential additions to India’s future T20I squad once senior players transition out. Mayank Yadav suffered an injury during the IPL but remains a promising prospect known for his pace bowling ability. Vijaykumar Vyshak and Yash Dayal are both included in the BCCI’s fast bowling contract program.
“However, there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI that India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had 500 plus runs (530) in World Cup and averages just around 50. Can you drop him?” the source said of Iyer.
Iyer’s last appearance for India came in the home Test series against England, and he played the first two Tests of that series. With the 4-1 margin, India won the series closely.
Team India will play five T20Is in Zimbabwe and three ODIs along with three T20Is in Sri Lanka
India is scheduled to visit Zimbabwe from July 6 to 14 to test their bench players. Senior players are engaged with the IPL and the 2024 T20 World Cup, so they probably won’t be part of this tour. India is also scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka, but the dates for these matches haven’t been decided yet.
As per the FTP, India will engage in three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka, with the series schedule yet to be finalized.
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