India men’s cricket team will face Zimbabwe in a three-match T20I series. All three matches will be played at the Harare Sports Club, with the series opener scheduled for Thursday (July 23). Shreyas Iyer, who is yet to register his maiden T20I win as India captain, will lead the Men in Blue. The squad also includes world No. 1 T20I batter Ishan Kishan, world No. 2 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Tilak Varma, among others.
However, the Indian selectors have introduced a couple of new faces in the bowling attack for their third away T20I series of 2026. Former world No. 1 T20I bowler Varun Chakaravarthy was also selected for the tour, but he will miss the series due to injury.
Here’s a look at the changes in India’s
squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe from the previous series against England:
IN: Rinku Singh is back in the Indian squad. The left-handed batter from Aligarh, who was part of India’s T20 World Cup 2026-winning team, returns after missing the two T20I series in the United Kingdom.
Fast bowler Mayank Yadav, who last played for India against Bangladesh in October 2024, has also been included in the squad. Mayank made his international debut a couple of years ago but has struggled with injuries since then.
The selectors have also picked two uncapped fast bowlers, Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur, in the squad for the first time in their careers. Vidarbha spinner Harsh Dubey, who played a couple of ODIs against Afghanistan in June 2026, has earned his maiden T20I call-up. Punjab Kings wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh has also been included in the squad.
Prabhsimran, who finished as Punjab Kings’ highest run-scorer in IPL 2026, was part of India’s squad for the 2023 Asian Games but did not get an opportunity to play a match.
OUT: Sanju Samson, who featured in the first and fifth T20Is against England earlier this month, has not been selected for the Zimbabwe series. His omission invited criticism of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
Apart from Samson, fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana have also been left out of the squad. There was also no place for spin-bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.
Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was initially named in the squad for the Zimbabwe T20Is but will miss the assignment due to an injury sustained during the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on July 7.
Retained Players: Shreyas Iyer, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Prince Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi are the nine players retained in India’s squad for the upcoming Zimbabwe series from the previous T20I series against England.
India’s squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe: Shreyas Iyer (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (VC), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Ravi Bishnoi.
India’s squad for the T20I series against England: Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Suryansh Shedge, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy.
