Shivam Dube to join Shubman Gill and Co. for India's tour of Zimbabwe; Nitish Reddy ruled out of T20I series

Days after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the appointment of Shubman Gill as the new captain of the Rohit Sharma-less side for the Zimbabwe tour, the apex cricket board has confirmed a solitary change in the young Indian T20I squad. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Nitish Reddy has been replaced by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) power-hitter Shivam Dube for the bilateral series.

The Indian Men’s Selection Committee has added Dube as a replacement for the injured Reddy in India's squad for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. The BCCI medical team is monitoring Reddy’s progress. With premier batter Gill leading the young brigade, India's second-string side will play a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe in Harare. Visitors India will meet Zimbabwe for the series opener on July 6.

ALSO READ: India vs England, weather report: Rain lashes Guyana for 12 hours straight, forecast grim for T20 World Cup semifinal

Dube to headline Zimbabwe series with Gill after World Cup

Batting all-rounder Dube is with Rohit's Team India in the Caribbean for the T20 World Cup. Dube's current teammates at the Indian camp - skipper Rohit, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah have all been rested for the Zimbabwe series. Earlier, the Indian think tank had roped in youngsters Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma and Nitish after their impressive showing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2024.

Injured Reddy was IPL's Emerging Player last season

Spearheading the middle-order of the Orange Army, the SRH star batted at a strike rate of 142.92 for the 2016 champions. In his second IPL season, the SRH star bagged three wickets, including 2/17 against the Delhi Capitals (DC). The 21-year-old scored 303 runs at an average of 33.67. Reddy was awarded the Emerging Player title for the last season of the cash-rich league.

India’s updated squad: Ꮪhubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube.