IND vs ZIM: India are all set to lock horns with Zimbabwe for the five-match T20I series. India’s tour will start on July 6 (Saturday) with the first game at Harare Sports Club, Harare. Shubman Gill will be leading the side, which has a number of youngsters. The selection committee has picked all those performers who did well in the IPL 2024.
The likes of Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande and Dhurv Jurel earned maiden T20I call. But there were a number players who were ignored for the series. Notably, only three players who were part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 winning team, were picked up in the squad and those three will join from third game. In this article, we will talk about three players who deserved a place in the side but were ignored.
Three Youngsters who were ignored for the Five-match IND vs ZIM series
1. Rajat Patidar
India picked a number of new faces, but one name that missed out was Rajat Patidar. The RCB star made his Test debut for India in the England series but couldn’t do well. But in the IPL 2024, he showed great form, and his ability to hit the sixes against spinners impressed everyone. Patidar scored 395 runs in 13 innings at a blistering strike rate of 177.13, with five half-centuries. But he was ignored by the selectors for the IND vs ZIM series.
2. T. Natarajan
An Indian left-arm pacer is very rare, but there are some quality left-armers on the domestic circuit. One of them is T. Natarajan. He had a pretty effective IPL 2024 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and he was their leading wicket-taker. His performances helped the team make it to the final. Natarajan took 19 wickets in 14 innings, with a best of 4/19. The 33-year-old has been superb in a shorter format, but despite his form, he couldn’t make it to the team.
3. Varun Chakravarthy
India picked up Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi as the two specialist spinners for the IND vs ZIM squad. But Varun Chakravarthy was not considered. The mystery spinner was the second-highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2024. He took 21 wickets in 14 innings at an economy rate of 8.04. Varun played an important role in taking Kolkata Knight Riders to title win. But the selectors didn’t consider him for the IND vs ZIM series.
Also Read: 3 Big Questions India need to solve in Zimbabwe T20I series