File photo of MS Dhoni© Twitter

Jasprit Bumrah is expected to make a comeback for the three-Test series against New Zealand starting on October 16 after well-deserved break following India’s T20 World Cup victory, but the pace spearhead could continue to be on rest for the two Tests against Bangladesh in September. It is understood that the Indian team management and selectors are looking to bring in more variations into the pace attack and hence a left-arm seam and swing bowler could be added to the bouquet of pacers who are vying for a Test cap.

In terms of exposure and experience, the selectors have two choices in Arshdeep Singh, who is a regular in T20 format and the injury prone and slightly erratic Khaleel Ahmed, who is rated very highly in some circles.

“In case of Bumrah, he knows his body the best and it will be up to him if he wants to play in the Tests against Bangladesh. The team management and selectors are very clear that India needs a 120 per cent fit Jasprit Bumrah for all five Tests against Australia Down Under. Before that, there is New Zealand in India, where he will probably play and get ready for the sterner tests,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

In case of Arshdeep, his initiation into red ball cricket was in fact in Rahul Dravid‘s plans as well and accordingly he was sent to Kent last year to play some County games.

Khaleel is a much improved bowler but has a tendency to be erratic. The other choice for a left-arm seamer is Yash Dayal, but he is behind Khaleel and Arshdeep in this race.

Ajay Ratra in line to become North Zone national selector

It is understood that Salil Ankola’s term has finally ended and he has been intimated that the selection meeting for tour of Sri Lanka was his last.

Former India wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra, who once scored a Test hundred in the West Indies, is favourite to take up the fifth slot which by convention goes to a North Zone candidate.

The position became vacant after former chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma got the boot for his loose talk during a sting operation of a private channel.

Ratra, along with Ajay Mehra, Shakti Singh and RS Sodhi have been interviewed by CAC for the post.

The 42-year-old Ratra, who is also among the pool of coaches in the NCA, is currently in Australia as a part of the support staff of India A women’s team that is on a limited-overs tour.

Once Ratra is back, it is expected that his appointment will be formally confirmed.

India vs Zimbabwe Live Streaming 5th T20I: When, Where To Watch Match?© AFP

Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s flair was complemented by skipper Shubman Gill‘s poise as young Indian team cantered to a 10-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the fourth T20 International, taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. This is the second time that India beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets after a similar-margin win at the same venue in 2016. Jaiswal and Gill’s approach was in complete contrast as the Mumbai southpaw went hammer and tongs during his unbeaten 93-run knock while the skipper (58 not out) was ready to play the second fiddle in a chase of 153 which was completed in 15.2 overs.

The target was made to look way easier than it should have been on a track that had good bounce and carry.

Jaiswal, who had to sit out during the T20 World Cup campaign hardly looked rusty, playing shots all around the wicket.

The thumping bowler’s back-drive off rival skipper Sikandar Raza was delightful and equally stylish was the pick-up pull off Richard Ngarava for a six.

The lack of pace in Zimbabwean attack on a good wicket became home team’s undoing as the dominant Jaiswal had reached his half-century with nine boundaries when the skipper was yet to reach 15.

There was no way that Zimbabwe could have stopped the run-feast as towards the end, the bigger interest was whether the two flag bearers of Indian batting into the next decade could reach their individual milestones of half-century and century.

It was Gill, who got his fifty and that didn’t leave Jaiswal with enough runs to complete his hundred.

Earlier India’s part-time bowlers Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma performed commendably in the middle overs to restrict Zimbabwe to a manageable 152 for seven after being put into bat by Gill.

Raza smashed 46 off 28 balls but India’s fifth bowler Abhishek (1/20 in 3 overs) and sixth option Dube (1/11 in 2 overs) produced a decent effort to keep the proceedings under control.

They removed the dangerous-looking opening duo of Wesley Madhevere (25 off 24 balls) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (32 off 31 balls) to put brakes in the middle overs.

However Raza with three sixes and two fours was the reason that Zimbabwe reached 150-plus target with almost all the Indian bowlers, save leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, entering their names in the wickets column. Medium fast bowler Tushar Deshpande (1/30 in 3 overs) was handed a debut cap but in his first spell he flattered to deceive, either pitching it too full or bowling too short.

More often than not he drifted on the pads allowing both openers Madhevere and Marumani to pick up easy boundaries.

Deshpande would feel good that he could get rid of Raza with a slower delivery in the slog overs to prevent Zimbabwe from surpassing 170 which would have been par on this track.

Zimbabwe’s best opening stand for the series in the first three games was 9 but Madhevere and Marumani added 63 in a solid stand even if it was not exactly spectacular.

However once the opening stand was broken by left-arm spinner Abhishek, who forced Marumani to mistime a pull-shot into Rinku Singh‘s hands, Zimbabwe couldn’t press home advantage they had gained.

Madhevere was accounted for by Dube as he couldn’t get the required elevation and distance to a short ball. Rinku at deep mid-wicket completed formality.

Brian Bennett (9 off 14 balls), who was brilliant with the bat in the second game failed to get going before Washington sent him back. This was after Dube and Abhishek bowled wicket to wicket and kept a check on scoring.

Shubman Gill can wrap up his first series win as India captain today as the team take on Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I of the five-match series. India head into the contest with a 2-1 lead. After a shock defeat in the first game, India bounced back in tremendous style with a 100-run win. The third T20I was a closer affair, with a valiant Zimbabwe falling just 23 runs short. Ahead of a decisive fourth T20I, let’s take a look at India’s possible XI for the game.

1. Shubman Gill (c) – The captain stays, having been India’s top run-scorer in two of the three T20Is, including a solid 66 in the previous T20I.

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal – Having returned from the third T20I, Jaiswal contributed 36 off 27 balls and will surely keep his place in the side.

3. Abhishek Sharma – The swashbuckling southpaw may have been demoted to no. 3, but there is no case for him to be dropped for the rest of the series after his exceptional century in the second T20I.

4. Ruturaj Gaikwad – The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has quietly adapted well to middle-order duties, and narrowly missed out on a second successive half-century in the third T20I. Gaikwad is India’s leading run-scorer in the series so far.

5. Sanju Samson (wk) – Another player who joined after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 celebrations, Samson should keep his place in the XI as the wicket-keeper batsman.

6. Rinku Singh – Rinku Singh showed his finishing power in the second T20I with a 22-ball 48, and will keep his place in the side.

7. Shivam Dube – Despite playing every game for India in the T20 World Cup, Dube is expected to continue in the XI against Zimbabwe, being one of the more senior players in the squad.

8. Washington Sundar – Washington is making a great case for a regular India spot in the post-Ravindra Jadeja era in T20Is, having impressed with both bat and ball so far in the series. He finished with figures of 3/15 and won the ‘Player of the Match’ in the third T20I.

9. Ravi Bishnoi – The leg-spinner was the world’s no. 1 T20I bowler not too long ago, and will surely play every match in the series.

10. Tushar Deshpande – With Avesh Khan going for runs in the third T20I, a debut could be on the horizon for CSK star Tushar Deshpande.

11. Khaleel Ahmed – The left-arm seamer has been brilliant up front, and showed his class once again in the third T20I, giving away just 15 runs in his four-over spell.

File photo of Hardik Pandya© AFP