Sanju Samson dropped as India name squad for Zimbabwe T20Is
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced India's squad for the upcoming three-T20I series against Zimbabwe, starting on July 23. Shreyas Iyer will lead the team with Tilak Varma as his deputy. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson has been shockingly axed from the side. Notably, the wicketkeeper-batter was named the Player of the Tournament in India's T20 World Cup 2026 title-winning campaign earlier this year.
Team composition
Notable omissions and debut call-ups
The 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe includes several key players. Along with Iyer and Varma, the team features Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shivam Dube. Notably, Prabhsimran Singh has received his first call-up as he will serve as the back-up keeper. Meanwhile, Samson is a part of India's ongoing T20I series against England. He was dropped for the previous game, having recorded scores worth 1,0, and 5 in his last three T20Is.
Squad updates
Other changes in the squad
The revamped T20I squad for Zimbabwe tour sees the return of lower-order batter Rinku Singh and pacer Mayank Yadav. The latter has been selected despite being injury prone and has spent considerable time on the sidelines. All-rounder Harsh Dubey, and pacers Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma have been awarded their maiden India call-ups. Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, and Ravi Bishnoi are the other players to be dropped from the T20I side.
Information
India squad for Zimbabwe T20I series
Squad: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (wk).
IND vs ENG
Dube called up for England ODIs
In a separate announcement, Shivam Dube has been included in the ODI squad for England tour, replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy who was ruled out due to injury. India's updated squad for England ODIs: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Dube.