Jitesh Sharma could well pip Ishan Kishan for second wicketkeeper’s slot in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian T20 team which will play three T20Is against the Bangladesh starting October 6 in Gwalior. The squad is expected to be announced this week. The second and third T20Is will be held in New Delhi and Hyderabad on October 9 and 12 respectively. With Rishabh Pant‘s focus being 10 Tests this season, Sanju Samson will be India’s No 1 glovesman in the shortest format for now with Jitesh from Vidarbha believed to be ahead of Kishan in the race for second keeper’s slot.

Kishan’s selection in Rest of India squad also means that his international comeback could be slightly delayed.

With Test series against New Zealand starting October 16 in Bengaluru, top players like Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested as a part of workload management programme.

Some players could miss out as they will be part of Irani Cup between Rest of India and Mumbai in Lucknow from October 1 to 5.

A lot of players, who played in Zimbabwe in the five-match T20I series in July this year, will get a look-in.

Abhishek Sharma, the hard-hitting Punjab left hander, is set to be back in the mix in absence of Shubman Gill. However, it remains unclear who will partner him at the top of the order if both Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are rested.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain of the Rest of India team, is also in a tight spot as he will likely be busy with the Irani Cup until October 5, leaving little time before the Bangladesh T20Is begin. There is speculation that Jaiswal might play the first match, while Asian Games gold medallist Gaikwad could join the squad for the last two games.

Hardik Pandya is set to return to the national side, along with Shivam Dube.

The likes of Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Tushar Deshpande and Ravi Bishnoi, all of whom, were part of the Zimbabwe series, are expected to be part of the squad.

Harshit Rana who was in Zimbabwe as back up pacer could also get a chance. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced three changes to India’s squad for the 5-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The trio of Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma and Harshit Rana have been added to the roster for the first two matches, as replacements for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who are still in Barbados.

Originally slated to join the Zimbabwe-bound squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series starting Saturday, 6th July, the trio will travel to India first with the rest of the ICC T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad before departing for Harare. Samson, Dube and Jaiswal couldn’t fly out earlier from Barbados as a hurricane shut down the airport at the island nation.

India’s squad for 1st & 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe: Shubman Gill (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Harshit Rana

The unforseen circumstances has forced BCCI to name replacements for the three players.

Pacer Khaleel Ahmed and batter Rinku Singh, travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup, are also currently in Barbados. The BCCI has not named replacements for the duo even though they are in the squad for Zimbabwe series.

Sudharsan is currently playing county cricket for Surrey at the Oval in London. He is expected to leave for Harare immediately.

Players Still Stuck In Barbados

India’s T20 World Cup-winning team is expected to fly from Barbados today, with the airport expected to be reopened. 

The World Cup winning team, originally scheduled to depart from Barbados on Monday at 11 AM local time (8:30 PM IST), have been stranded in Barbados for the past two days due to Hurricane Beryl, which resulted in airports and businesses shut down.

The hurricane, which has tensified into an extremely dangerous Category 4 in the past hours, has sparked warnings of life-threatening winds and dangerous storm.

According to latest report from the National Hurricane Centre of US, Beryl, a hurricane which was upgraded to a category four on Monday, has intensified to a category 5 storm after making landfall in the Windward Islands as it churned towards Jamaica.

The hurricane was upgraded to a category four on Monday, bringing life-threatening winds and storm lashed Barbados and nearby islands.

With Agency Inputs

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Jitesh Sharma in action© BCCI