India will play five T20Is against Zimbabwe from July 6.
The young Indian team will take on a spirited Zimbabwe in a five-T20I series starting July 6 onwards. Under the captaincy of Shubman Gill and the guidance of coach VVS Laxman, several domestic and IPL stars will taste what it feels like to play for India on the big stage.
Stars like Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Tushar Deshpande, and more have earned their maiden India call-ups and shared their excitement as the Indian team left for Zimbabwe. The new-look Indian team arrived in Harare on Wednesday and the likes of Riyan, Deshpande, and others completely failed to hide their excitement of representing the nation.
Riyan Parag, who had an excellent IPL 2024 with 573 runs for Rajasthan Royals, hilariously admitted that in his excitement to travel with the Indian team, he misplaced his phone and most importantly his passport, before finding them.
"So excited that I've forgotten my passport. I've forgotten my phone. I've not forgotten, I've misplaced them. But I have it now," Parag said in a video shared by BCCI.
“Ever since I was a kid, it was a dream to travel like this. Though we play matches, but traveling, and wearing Indian clothes, is a dream. It is a new team, almost, a lot of new and old faces. Ever since I was a kid, I dreamt of it. There will be a special connection with Zimbabwe," he added.
Abhishek Sharma also revealed that after his selection in the Indian team, he received a call from his Punjab teammate Shubman Gill.
“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.
Here is the video:
India's squad for 1st & 2nd T20I:
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.
(With ANI Inputs)