The Indian cricket team is getting ready for a five-match T20 International series against Zimbabwe starting on July 6. The squad for this tour will be announced by the end of this week, possibly on June 22 or 23.
VVS Laxman, a former Indian cricketer, along with his support staff from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, is set to join the Indian team for the series against Zimbabwe. Laxman and the NCA team have been known to step in as coaches when the main coaching staff, led by Rahul Dravid, takes breaks.
Gautam Gambhir, who is likely to be appointed as the new head coach of Team India, is expected to begin his coaching stint with India's tour of Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in mid-July. This series will feature three T20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals.
A young squad is anticipated to travel to Zimbabwe, including six to seven members from India's T20 World Cup 2024 team. New players who are almost certain to be included are Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, and all-rounder Nitish Reddy, with either Yash Dayal or Harshit Rana likely to make their debut.
The team captaincy for the Zimbabwe series will be taken up by either Hardik Pandya if he does not request rest, or Suryakumar Yadav, who has previously led the T20 team against Australia at home and in an away series in South Africa.
This series presents an excellent opportunity for young players to showcase their talent on the international stage under the guidance of experienced coaches like VVS Laxman and potentially Gautam Gambhir in future tours.