IND vs ZIM 4th T20 Playing 11
After a crushing defeat in the first T20, the Shubman Gill-led Indian team made a strong comeback by winning the next two matches and now stands at the brink of the series with a 2-1 lead.
When the world champion team takes the field in the fourth match of the series at Harare Sports Club on Saturday (July 13), its aim will be to capture the trophy. Some changes can be seen in the team’s playing 11 in this match.
In the third match, India made four changes after the return of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dubey and Yashasvi Jaiswal to the team. The return of the T20 World Cup-winning trio meant that Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Sai Sudarshan had to be left out. Despite scoring a century in the second T20, Abhishek Sharma was removed from the opening spot and was brought to bat at number three, while Jaiswal opened with Gill. Top-order troubles meant that Ruturaj Gaikwad had to bat at number four.
Riyan Parag may enter
India registered a 23-run win, but the batting order was questioned by many in the cricket world, as the presence of four openers raised questions. Interim coach VVS Laxman might want to bring more balance to the batting unit, which could mean the return of middle-order batsman Parag. However, it will have to come at the expense of Abhishek, who has shone for India in the series so far. India have used Abhishek as the fifth bowler, which is a role that Parag can also play. Parag also has a better bowling record than Abhishek.
Avesh Khan could be rested
The Men in Blue have rotated their pace bowling unit so far, with Khaleel being rested for the second T20I and Mukesh for the third T20I. Avesh is likely to be benched for the next game if the team follows through. India’s strategy of playing seven specialist batsmen has also been debated, especially due to the lack of a regular fifth bowler, but two consecutive wins mean that the Gill-led side will not make many changes to the playing XI.
India Probable Playing 11 for 4th T20I against Zimbabwe
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma/Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson (wk.), Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed.