Sanju Samson Excluded from India's T20 Squad for Zimbabwe Tour

India's T20 Squad Announcement for Zimbabwe

On Monday, Sanju Samson, the wicket-keeper batter who played a key role in India's World Cup victory, was left out of the squad for the upcoming three T20 matches in Zimbabwe. The selectors have opted to include pacers Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma, both of whom are receiving their first call-ups.

The Indian team is set to visit Zimbabwe for three T20 matches scheduled on July 23, 25, and 27, with all games taking place in Harare.

Samson's recent performance has been underwhelming, as he was replaced by the promising Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during the second T20I against England in the ongoing five-match series.

The Kerala batter faced challenges, recording three consecutive low scores—twice against Ireland and once in the opening T20I against England in Durham.

In his absence, the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, has brought in Prabhsimran Singh, another wicketkeeper from Punjab, marking his debut in the squad.

Additionally, fast bowler Mayank Yadav returns to the team for the first time since 2024.

For the three ODIs against England, Shivam Dube has been called up to replace the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy.

The finalized squad for the T20 series includes: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, and Prabhsimran Singh (WK).

For the ODI matches against England, the updated squad features: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, and Shivam Dube.