The Zimbabwe v India T20I series will be played in Harare from July 23-26.
India revealed a 15-man team on July 6 that included a redesigned pace attack. Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma received their first call-ups, and Mayank Yadav was added back into the lineup.
However, Wasim Jaffer questioned Ashok Sharma's selection, pointing out that despite the pacer's great talent, Gujarat Titans (GT) benched him midway through the 2026 IPL after he took six wickets in as many games at an economy rate of 10.85.
“How did Ashok Sharma get selected? How did Mayank Yadav, who was so unfit that he missed the entire IPL season and didn't even take a single wicket, get fast-tracked into the team in the same format? On what basis were these players picked? So, I'm very surprised. Ashok Sharma is a very good bowler, and we've spoken about him before. This is a player who has real potential. He bowls with genuine pace and could be an asset for India in Tests and ODIs. Ashok Sharma played the initial matches, but after that, Gujarat Titans benched him,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
Jaffer also discussed Mayank Yadav, who played for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in four IPL 2026 games without taking a wicket. He claimed that the 24-year-old's selection was unexpected since he has had persistent fitness problems and hasn't played enough cricket to be fairly evaluated.
“As for Mayank Yadav, he has had serious fitness issues. We hardly get to see him playing consistently. So, his selection has been a surprise, even though he has immense potential. The main question is whether he can stay fit. First of all, he doesn't play enough matches. So, how do you judge him? He played just a handful of IPL matches, and then he was fast-tracked straight into international cricket,” he stated.
Notably, Mayank Yadav has played three T20Is for India, all against Bangladesh, and picked up four wickets.
Jaffer also mentioned Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Sakib Hussain, who in his debut IPL season claimed 15 wickets in 11 games.
“Then there's Rasikh Salam, who did so well for the title-winning team. He bowled a lot of important overs for RCB in the powerplay, the middle overs, and at the death. He also picked up wickets against the best batters. Then there's Sakib Hussain as well. So, why weren't these players included for the Zimbabwe tour? That's what surprises me. Why are these names missing? Mayank Yadav didn't even take a single wicket,” Jaffer added.
Following back-to-back series losses to England and Ireland, the Zimbabwe series will offer India an opportunity to get back on track.