1st T20I: Gill elects to bowl; three Indians make debuts
India are up against Zimbabwe in the opener of the five-T20I series. As legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from T20Is following India's 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, the young guns have a chance to step up. Meanwhile, India have won the toss and elected to bowl first. Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel make their T20I debuts.
Pitch report and streaming details
The Harare Sports Club will host all the five games. The opening game will be played on July 6. Pitches at this venue are conducive to spin-bowling as the bounce remains low. Teams batting first have clinched 29 of the 50 T20Is played here. One can watch the match live on the Sony Sports Network and stream it on the SonyLIV app (4:30pm IST).
Here's the head-to-head record
India boast six wins and just a couple of defeats against Zimbabwe in T20Is. Seven of these games have taken place in Harare as the head-to-head record is 5-2 in India's favor. The two sides last met in T20Is in the 2022 T20 WC in Melbourne. The Men in Blue recorded a comfortable 71-run triumph.
Here are the playing XIs
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Tadiwanashe Marumani, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza(c), Dion Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande(w), Wessly Madhevere, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara. India (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel(w), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed.
Here are the key performers
Pacers Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed took 16-plus wickets in the 2024 Indian Premier League. Abhishek Sharma and Riyan Parag hammered 480-plus runs in the season with healthy strike rates. Sikandar Raza boasts 1,947 runs in T20Is besides 60 wickets. Tendai Chatara and Luke Jongwehave have also scalped 60 or more wickets in this format for Zimbabwe.
Impressive run of debutants in IPL 2024
As mentioned, three Indians have been handed their maiden T20I caps following an impressive 2024 IPL. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Abhishek scored 484 runs at 32.27 as his strike rate (204.22) was the best among batters with 350-plus runs. Riyan finished as Rajasthan Royals' highest run-getter, 573 at 52.09. His teammate Jurel fared well in the limited opportunities, scoring 195 runs (SR: 138.29).
