“Abhishek will open with me…”- Captain Gill drops hints of a new opening pair ahead of the 1st T20I against Zimbabwe

New Delhi: After becoming the World Champions in the shortest format of the game, Team India has embarked on its Mission 2.0. In the new assignment which starts from Zimbabwe, there is a complete revamp of the old team with many key players missing the action.

Shubman Gill has been tasked to lead this young side alongside stand-in coach VVS Laxman in the upcoming tour to Zimbabwe. Gill who missed out on the opening slot owing to the RoKo magic of Rohit and Virat seems eager to take on the responsibilities alongside captaincy duties.

Match Day!

Inching closer to the #ZIMvIND T20I series opener ⏳

⏰ 4:30 PM IST
📍 Harare
💻 https://t.co/Z3MPyeKtDz
📱 Official BCCI App#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/WNJqvSkpLN

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2024

The young Indian batsman looked eager in his pre-match conference before the first game. “…Rohit bhai and Virat bhai had opened in the World Cup, and I also opened (the innings) in the T20s. So, I think I would like to open in the T20s.”

The big change in the opening order!

The elephant in the room is however the change in the batting lineup for this upcoming tour. Earlier, everyone had thought that Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been the regular opener for CSK would accompany Gill at the top.

But surprisingly, Gill has removed the confusion and has said very categorically, that “Abhishek will open with me…” This means that Ruturaj Gaikwad will slot in at 3 while Gill and Abhishek retain their opening slots.

India Tour of Zimbabwe

🗓️ July 2024
5⃣ T20Is 🙌
📍 Harare

More details 👉 https://t.co/lmtzVUZNCq#TeamIndia | #ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/CgVkLS8JIB

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 6, 2024

The question is coming from a generation of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, can these two youngsters fill in for the RoKo magic? Irrespective of whether they can or cannot, these youngsters have big shoes to fill in the coming years.

📍 Harare#TeamIndia in all readiness for the 1st T20I against Zimbabwe 🙌#ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/AKnone9Bmo

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 6, 2024

India squad for the upcoming tour

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 Rana.

🏏India’s Tour of Zimbabwe 2024 is here!🏏

Complete schedule, squads, dates, and more.

Catch all the action starting July 6 at Harare Sports Club! 📅

🔗Read More: https://t.co/3SJ6Y5PnLm#CricketUpdate #IndiaTourOfZimbabwe #T20I #TeamIndia #ShubmanGill #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/iCWIMjyYsv

— Eagles Journal (@EaglesJournal01) July 6, 2024

India vs Zimbabwe: Schedule

All the matches between India and Zimbabwe will take place at Harare Sports Club which will host a total of 5 T20I matches. The entire fixture is as follows: