India bundled out for 102, hosts Zimbabwe win by 13 runs

A newlook Indian T20 team would embark on a journey of selfdiscovery without their constant talismans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hoping to unearth their mainstays for the future in a fivematch series against Zimbabwe starting on Saturday atOptions key d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7 format iframe height 90 width 728 params Even as the euphoria of T20 World Cup triumph sweeps through the length and breadth of India Shubman Gill who was a reserve in that squad will hit a refresh button along with a bunch of IPL performersAll the fresh faces are expected to make their international debut during the series scheduled to be played entirely in the Zimbabwean capitalTwo young men who are lined for debut could be Punjabs Abhishek Sharma who had a stupendous IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad and the young Assamese lad Riyan Parag who has given ample demonstration of his capabilities as a competent T20 batter Both of them tick all the boxes for this formatWhile over the past few years Rohit and Kohli have skipped a lot of bilateral series especially in the shortest format their international retirement from the format is bound to be felt more stronglyThe skills and quality that the two modern greats brought to the table will be hard to replicate but as it is the order of nature the old guard has to make way for the new oneZimbabwe certainly isnt the most formidable opposition but in T20 format the gulf between sides is comparatively lesser than the other two traditional forms of the gameThe hosts led by the gutsy Sikandar Raza who played for Punjab Kings in the IPL recently could prove to be a handful on nippy afternoons at the Harare Sports Club where the ball will jag around during the afternoon startsAlso ReadPoliced to perfectionSome solid performances in this series will keep these youngsters in contention for future when the first team players of the world champion side are back on national dutyShivam Dube Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be available from the third match onwards and some of the young men would only get a couple of games to prove their mettleIn future the likes of T20 captaininwaiting Hardik Pandya his likely deputy Suryakumar Yadav Rishabh Pant Axar Patel Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav will also be back playing the format and there wont be too many vacancies in the playing eleven From now till the 2026 T20 World Cup in India the national team will play 34 games in the shortest format atOptions key d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7 format iframe height 90 width 728 params While skipper Gill is expected to open one needs to see whether his best friend Abhishek gets his maiden India cap or the seasoned CSK skipper and captain of the Asian Games gold medalwinning team Ruturaj Gaikwad ends up being the chosen oneIn case Abhishek opens Gaikwad could come in at No3 or swap positions with the Punjab southpaw Parags chances of a debut are brighter compared to Abhishek as he can bat at No 4 in the first match a slot he made his own for the RoyalsRinku Singh the designated finisher of the Indian T20 team for years to come is expected to arrive at No 5 in this new look lineup while one among Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel will bat at No 6 while donning the big glovesIf one looks at selection pattern Jurel was the second keeper behind Sanju Samson for this series and Jitesh was a late entrant because of the unavailability of the World Cup squad membersHence Jurel who made an impressive Test debut against England is likely play in the first two games before Samson arrivesAlso ReadUntil next time IndiaIn the bowling department Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed the two standbys during the T20 World Cup are certainties and Mukesh Kumar who is a very steady death bowler could be the third seamer pipping Harshit Rana who is a better slogger with the willowWashington Sundar with his allround abilities will hold his place till Dube arrives while legspinner Ravi Bishnoi is expected to play all gamesZIM vs IND 1st T20I live updatesSquadsIndia first 2 games Shubman Gill c 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 RanaZimbabwe Sikandar Raza captain Faraz Akram Brian Bennett Johnathan Campbell Tendai Chatara Luke Jongwe Innocent Kaia Clive Madande Wessly Madhevere Tadiwanashe Marumani Wellington Masakadza Brandon Mavuta Blessing Muzarabani Dion Myers Antum Naqvi Richard Ngarava Milton ShumbaZIM vs IND 1st T20I live updates Toss updateIndia captain Shubman Gill won the toss and opted to field against Zimbabwe in the first T20I at the Harare Sports Club on SaturdayThe postera of Virat Rohit and Jadeja in the shortest format of cricket will begin with Shubman Gill leading the side in the first T20I of the fivematch series against Zimbabwe Abhishek Sharma Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel will make their T20I debuts for IndiaZIM vs IND 1st T20I live updates Confirmed playing XIsIndia Playing XIShubman Gillc Abhishek Sharma Ruturaj Gaikwad Riyan Parag Rinku Singh Dhruv Jurelw Washington Sundar Ravi Bishnoi Avesh Khan Mukesh Kumar Khaleel AhmedZimbabwe Playing XITadiwanashe Marumani Innocent Kaia Brian Bennett Sikandar Razac Dion Myers Johnathan Campbell Clive Madandew Wessly Madhevere Luke Jongwe Blessing Muzarabani Tendai Chatara759 PM 102 195Zimbabwe displayed exceptional fielding skills to prevent a boundary on the third ball ultimately securing victory in the match India was all out for 102 runs749 PM 869 17Zimbabwes successful review for a stumping overturns the decision On the very next ball they bowl out Mukesh Kumar734 PM 617 13India reviews but it proves futile as Bishnoi was compelled to depart from the pavilion727 PM 536 11Sikandar Raza removes captain Gill The Zimbabwe skipper outsmarts him with a superb delivery720 PM 435 10Jurel attempts another cover drive this time opting to loft the ball Unfortunately it was caught by the fielder at short extra cover711 PM 364 9Masakadza bowls a spinning delivery to Gill as a result India skipper fails to connect and instead nudges the next ball to the leg side to take a quick single708 PM 284 7Chatara cleverly angles one away from Jurel striking him high on the back pad Zimbabwe opts to use their review aiming to capitalize on the chance for another breakthrough702 PM 224 5Rinku attempts to break the strike with a pull shot but unfortunately he hit the ball with the top edge resulting in an easy catch for Bennett653 PM 162 4Muzarabani bowls a perfectly angled delivery just outside the off stump Gaikwad endeavors to play a defensive shot yet he only succeeds in nicking a faint edge The ball is expertly grasped by the fielder positioned at first slip646 PM 121 3Gaikwad executes a flawless cover drive sending the ball through the infield for a boundary630 PM 01 1Abhishek missed the opportunity to connect with the pull shot resulting in an easy catch for Masakadza613 PM 1159 20Madande mistimed the last ball but still managed to score a boundary on the final delivery605 PM 989 18Avesh Khan steps up to complete his quota of overs as India searches for the final wicket Madande faces two dot balls under immense pressure determined to see his team through to the end of the innings558 PM 909 16Bishnoi delivers a deceptive googly that catches Muzarabani off guard leading the umpire to give him out545 PM 907 14Washington Sundar delivers a stunning ball and secures the wicket Another setback for Zimbabwe as Sundar dismisses the lefthanded batter536 PM 745 12Avesh dismisses Raza with a short ball and Bishnoi makes a crucial catch A costly mixup results in Campbell losing his wicket He hesitated too long leading to the host losing its fifth wicket523 PM 693 10Sikander Raza just delivered the best shot of the day Avesh Khan pitched it up and Raza effortlessly lofted it straight over the umpire with a clean and precise shot513 PM 523 8Bishnoi delivers a flatter and quicker ball Madhevere attempts a sweep shot but unfortunately he only manages to under edge the ball onto the stumps508 PM 402 6Ravi Bishnoi makes an immediate impact as he enters the attack delivering a perfect doosra on his very first ball He skillfully manages to clip the stumps causing the right bail to cleanly come off503 PM 401 5Thats a beautiful boundary Madhevere manages to break free Taking advantage of a short delivery from Khaleel the Zimbabwean opener expertly flatbats the ball over midwicket for a boundary448 PM 141 2Mukesh delivers the first ball with precision causing Kaia to edge it Mukesh with the first breakthrough430 PM 60 1Khaleel delivers a full first ball which Tadiwanashe Marumani confidently drives on the up for a boundary Khaleel then adjusts his length causing Marumani to edge the ball to deep third for a couple of runs atOptions key d0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7 format iframe height 90 width 728 params