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In a recent announcement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, and Harshit Rana as replacements for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal for the 1st two T20Is against Zimbabwe. Initially, Samson, Dube, and Jaiswal, who were part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup squad, were slated to join the squad for the five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe. However, the BCCI confirmed through an official release that these three cricketers will first return to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup-winning squad before heading to Zimbabwe.
Samson and Jaiswal did not feature in any matches during the 2024 T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States, whereas Dube played in all of India’s matches. Dube scored 133 runs in eight innings, averaging 22.16 with a strike rate of 114.65, including a crucial 27 off 16 balls in the final against South Africa in Barbados.
The World Cup-winning Indian team is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon their return to the country. The team has been stranded in Barbados for the past two days due to Hurricane Beryl but is expected to fly home via a charter flight on Tuesday, July 2 evening.
