Team India squad for Zimbabwe T20Is announced: Samson, Arshdeep, Harshit omitted; Rinku returns!

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has announced a 15-man squad for the 3-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, set to kick off on July 23 in Harare. The squad has undergone some stark changes compared to the one currently playing in England under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Let’s move forward in this post and check a new-look Team India for the 3-match T20I series against Zimbabwe.

Team India T20I Squad for Zimbabwe Tour 2026

Check out Team India’s 15-man squad for the three-match T20I series in Zimbabwe in July 2026. Shreyas Iyer will be leading the side, whereas Tilak Varma will be his deputy.

Team India T20I squad vs Zimbabwe: Shreyas Iyer (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (VC), Ishan Kishan (WK), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav

 

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Key Takeaways

• Shreyas Iyer will be leading the 15-man squad in Zimbabwe.
• A handful of regulars, including Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh, have most probably been rested for the tour.
• Ravi Bishnoi and Prasidh Krishna, after some underwhelming performances in the ongoing UK tour, have been dropped.
• Rinku Singh has returned to the squad after missing the England tour.
• Harsh Dubey has also earned his maiden T20I call-up after making his India debut in the ODI series against Afghanistan in June.
• Besides Harsh, the pace duo of Ashok Sharma and Yash Thakur has also earned a maiden call-up.
• Yash Thakur claimed 18 wickets in just 7 games at an outstanding average of 9.88 and an economy of 6.80 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
• Ashok Sharma picked up 22 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, finishing among the top performers.
• He made his IPL debut for Gujarat Titans, taking 6 wickets in 6 matches and clocking the fastest ball of the season at 154.2 kph.
• Injury-ridden Mayank Yadav also returns to the squad for the first time since 2024. The tearaway Delhi pacer made sporadic appearances for Lucknow Super Giants in the last two IPL seasons due to injury.
• Punjab’s wicket-keeper batter Prabhsimran Singh has been rewarded for his consistent IPL performances that saw him score above 500 runs in each of the last three seasons, i.e., 2024, 2025, and 2026. Prabh last made it to the Indian T20I squad during the 2023 Asian Games.

Team India’s Best Possible Playing XI for the three T20Is vs Zimbabwe

Here’s our best possible playing XI of Team India for the T20I series.

• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
• Abhishek Sharma
• Ishan Kishan (WK)
• Shreyas Iyer (C)
• Tilak Varma
• Rinku Singh
• Shivam Dube
• Harsh Dubey
• Prince Yadav
• Yash Thakur
• Varun Chakravarthy

Team India T20I schedule vs Zimbabwe

The first of the three T20Is will be played on 23 July, followed by games on the 25th and 26th of July. The tour will commence after the conclusion of India’s tour of England, which will end on July 19.