Sanju Samson omitted from India's T20I squad for Zimbabwe; Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma get maiden call-ups
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Monday (July 6, 2026) the 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, scheduled for July 23, 25, and 27 in Harare. Notable omissions include senior batter Sanju Samson, while pacers Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma received their maiden call-ups to the national team.
Sanju Samson, a key player in India's recent World Cup victory, has been left out following a string of low scores. The 31-year-old registered three consecutive failures—twice against Ireland and once against England in the ongoing series—leading to his exclusion. His place in the squad has been taken by wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh, who impressed for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026 and was part of the Indian team at the 2023 Asian Games.
Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma, both fast bowlers, earned their maiden call-ups after strong performances for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey also received his first T20I call-up, having made his ODI debut earlier this year against Afghanistan. "Mayank Yadav and Ashok Sharma are two of India's fastest bowlers. They are young. If selectors don't try them against even Zimbabwe where will they try," a source familiar with the selection committee deliberations told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The selectors have continued their focus on building for the future, a trend highlighted by the promotion of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became India's youngest international cricketer, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, during the ongoing T20I series against England. Samson's omission also reflects the need to give Sooryavanshi an extended run in the squad.
Other players omitted from the Zimbabwe tour include Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, and Ravi Bishnoi. Among them, Harshit, Prasidh, and Washington are part of the ODI squad for the upcoming series against England, explaining their absence. Meanwhile, lower-order batter Rinku Singh and fast bowler Mayank Yadav made comebacks to the T20I squad. Yadav returns for the first time since 2024, having played four matches for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 without taking a wicket and conceding 11.37 runs per over.
The BCCI has not officially commented on Samson's exclusion, but a senior source indicated that Samson is set to feature in the Asian Games in September, making rest a factor. "Why is this surprising that Sanju has been rested for Zimbabwe. People who are saying this should know Sanju is in Asian Games squad in September. So those who are criticising selection committee can do a bit of homework," the source said.
Additionally, for the three ODIs against England, the selectors replaced the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy with Shivam Dube.
India's T20I squad for Zimbabwe: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK).
India's updated ODI squad for England: 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, Shivam Dube.
