India squad vs Zimbabwe: Five star performers who failed to get in 15-member squad for 5-match T20I series

Add as a preferred source on Google

India squad vs Zimbabwe: The BCCI on Monday (June 24) announced a 15-member squad for India's upcoming five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe starting July 6 in Harare. In the absence of senior players, Shubman Gill was named the captain of the team.

The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Nitish Reddy and Tushar Deshpande received their maiden India call-up. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson are the only two players from India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad who would be travelling to Zimbabwe.

India's T20 World Cup 2024 travelling reserves - Gill, Rinku Singh, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed - are all part of the squad which also included Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and Mukesh Kumar.

India squad for T20I series vs Zimbabwe: Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Nitish Reddy, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande

BCCI's senior selection committee had a pool of talent to pick from despite the majority of their senior and regular members being rested. Therefore, a bunch of very deserving performers were left out of the squad. Let's have a look.

India squad for T20I series vs Zimbabwe: 5 star players who were left out

• Tilak Varma: Mumbai Indians star Tilak Varma was one of the surprise omissions from the squad. He was MI's second-highest run-scorer after Rohit Sharma in the IPL 2023.

He was part of India's last bilateral T20I series in January against Afghanistan, and has widely been considered as one of India's brightest future prospects. The 21-year-old even made his ODI debut at Asia Cup 2023.

• Harshit Rana: Delhi pacer Harshit Rana, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, was almost certain of being picked for the Zimbabwe series but unfortunately failed to get a place. He was the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2024 and played a key role in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) title triumph with 19 wickets at an average of 20.15.
• Sai Sudharsan: The southpaw was the leading run-scorer for Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2024. The 22-year-old was one of the only seven batters who scored over 500 runs in the season. He scored 527 runs at an average of 47.90 and a strike rate of 141.28.

Sudharsan's captain Shubman Gill scored 426 runs and was the second-highest run-scorer for GT. The Tamil Nadu batter made his ODI debut in South Africa last year, and scored two fifties in three matches.

• Yuzvendra Chahal: The experienced leg-spinner again had a successful IPL season, taking 18 wickets and finishing joint-fifth in the list of highest wicket-takers. He was picked in the India squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Unfortunately, Chahal hasn't played a single game in the T20 World Cup 2024. He did not get an opportunity to bowl even in the warm-up match. The 33-year-old does not have a central contract and has once again been shown the exit door.

• Varun Chakravarthy: Leg-spinner was one of the key reasons why KKR won the IPL 2024. Varun Chakravarthy was at his absolute best, picking 21 wickets at an average of 19.14 and an economy rate of 8.04. Only Harshal Patel (24) picked more wickets than him. In the absence of Kuldeep and Chahal, the 32-year-old must have fancied his chance.