SAI SUDHARSAN, JITESH SHARMA, HARSHIT RANA JOIN INDIA SQUAD FOR FIRST TWO T20IS ON ZIMBABWE TOUR

A young Indian team will take on Zimbabwe in a series of five T20Is starting July 6, and the BCCI on Tuesday announced that Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana will join the squad for the first two T20Is in place of T20 World Cup-winning trio part of the original squad.

Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who were part of the Indian team that won the T20 World Cup in West Indies, had been picked for the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. But because the trio will return to India first from the Caribbean before taking the flight to Harare, Sai, Jitesh and Rana will fill up for them as replacements for the first two matches.

"The Men’s Selection Committee has named Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana as replacements for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first two T20Is against Zimbabwe," read the BCCI release.

"Originally slated to join the Zimbabwe-bound squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series starting Saturday, 6th July, the trio will travel to India first with the rest of the ICC T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad before departing for Harare," the release further read.

While the BCCI didn't make any mention, it is perhaps the team's delay in return home because of a hurricane in Barbados that could have led to this decision.

The second-string India team led by Shubman Gill left for Zimbabwe on Tuesday early morning. VVS Laxman is the team's coach for the tour.

India’s squad for 1st & 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe: 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