After losing the series opener, the Men in Blue stormed back with a 100-run win on July 7. Will Shubman Gill change their winning combination on July 10?
One would think a victory would solve problems, but when it comes to the Indian cricket team, it’s the opposite. The young Shubman Gill-led team claimed an emphatic victory over Zimbabwe on July 8, but that win has raised issues for the Men in Blue. With the return of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shivam Dube to the squad, the somewhat settled XI has to be changed.
Dube & Samson in for Jurel & Sudharsan
Two of the four debutants in the series, Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudharsan, will likely be dropped for the India vs Zimbabwe 3rd T20I. The reason is simple: Samson. As the next wicketkeeper in line after Rishabh Pant and coming after failing to get a game in the T20 World Cup, the batter from Kerala will replace Jurel, who had just one chance to bat but has been great behind the wickets.
Sudharsan would feel the most unlucky. The southpaw made his T20I debut on July 7 but didn’t get a chance to bat. He’ll be replaced by another southpaw in Shivam Dube. The tall spin specialist played in every match for Team India in the T20 World Cup, and although his performance was up and down for the most part, he came out well in the final against South Africa.
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No place Jaiswal, Parag gets lucky
However, there will be one player who’s been added to the squad who’ll miss out: Yashasvi Jaiswal. After warming the bench throughout the T20 World Cup, the young opener, who’d been India’s No. 1 T20I opener until January, will not get a game. Why? Well, because of how well Abhishek Sharma played in the 2nd T20I.
Abhishek’s 46-ball century will keep him in the playing XI vs Zimbabwe. Of course, the second opener (Shubman Gill) can’t be changed either, given that he’s the captain of the team. He may have played at 3, but Ruturaj Gaikwad scored an unbeaten 77 and can’t be dropped after that incredible inning, which saw him rebuild after early wickets and then attack at the end. This means that Jaiswal won’t get a chance on July 10.
Riyan Parag will find himself lucky that he’ll continue to play despite his underwhelming performance with both bat and ball. But due to a shortage of bowling options and proper all-rounders like Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya, he’ll get another chance to prove himself.
Predicted India Playing XI vs Zimbabwe for 3rd T20I
Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (wk), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
Editors pick
