The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe, with several notable changes from the group currently touring England. The three-match series begins on July 23 in Harare and sees the return of several familiar faces, while a few regulars have been left out.
The biggest talking point is the omission of Sanju Samson, who misses out along with Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna. The BCCI has not provided any explanation for the exclusions.
Among the fresh faces, Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur have earned their maiden India call-ups following impressive domestic performances. Both pacers enjoyed excellent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaigns, with Sharma claiming 22 wickets, while Thakur picked up 18 wickets in just seven matches at an average of 9.88 and an economy rate of 6.80.
Sharma also made an impression in IPL 2026 with the Gujarat Titans, taking six wickets in six matches and bowling the fastest delivery of the season at 154.2 kph. Both bowlers recently featured for India A during the tour of Sri Lanka.
Rinku Singh returns to the T20I setup after missing recent assignments, while Punjab Kings opener Prabhsimran Singh has been rewarded for his consistent IPL performances. After scoring 579 runs in 2025, Prabhsimran followed it up with another outstanding campaign in IPL 2026, accumulating 510 runs in 14 matches at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 168.87. However, with Ishan Kishan also included, he is likely to serve as the reserve wicketkeeper.
Speedster Mayank Yadav also makes his comeback after an injury-plagued period. The fast bowler has not represented India since 2024 after battling multiple fitness setbacks. Although he managed only four IPL appearances this season, the selectors have backed his pace and potential.
Harsh Dubey, who made his ODI debut against Afghanistan earlier this year, has also been included after picking up eight wickets in eight IPL matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, the BCCI also confirmed that Shivam Dube has replaced the injured Nitish Reddy in India’s ODI squad for the England series. Reddy, who suffered a quadriceps injury ahead of the T20Is, has failed to recover in time for the three-match ODI leg.
India will begin their Zimbabwe tour with the opening T20I in Harare on July 23, followed by matches on July 25 and 26, as the selectors continue to test the squad depth ahead of future ICC events.
Source: Cricbuzz
