Indian players in Zimbabwe (Source: AP Photos)
India and Zimbabwe will go up against each other again on Saturday (July 25) in the second T20I of the three-match series. Harare Sports Club will be the host venue once more, with India already taking a 1-0 lead by defeating the Sikandar Raza-led side by seven wickets.
Riding on Mayank Yadav’s early heroics, coupled with able support from Prince Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, among others, India restricted Zimbabwe to 125/7 after captain Shreyas Iyer asked them to bat first.
Coming to chase, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed no mercy to Zimbabwe bowlers, notching up an electrifying half-century in just 11 balls. Ishan Kishan and Shreyas did their bit as well, as the Men in Blue took only 13.2 overs to get the job done.
With the second T20I coming up, let’s take a look at India's predicted playing XI, based on the squad and recent performance.
Openers: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma
It is a no-brainer that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will surely be playing the second T20I against Zimbabwe, particularly after what he did in the series opener.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma had to leave the ground while fielding in Harare on Thursday (July 23) due to a finger injury. Even though he returned to the field a few overs later, he could not do much with the bat, lasting eight deliveries for just 1 run before falling to Blessing Muzarabani.
Nevertheless, until and unless the BCCI think tank takes extra precautions for Abhishek, he will be in action with an aim to tell the world what he can deliver with the bat in hand.
Middle-Order & Wicket-Keeper: Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh
Even though Prabhsimran Singh is there in the mix as a wicket-keeping option, Team India is unlikely to bring him in until winning the T20I series.
This is solely due to the fact that they have had miserable outings in Ireland and England lately in T20Is.
Also Read: How Shivam Dube Is Silently Emerging As India's Secret Weapon For World Cup 2027
Therefore, all the middle-order options Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh, in all likelihood, will keep their places, with the wicket-keeping option Ishan Kishan to be there as well.
All-Rounder: Shivam Dube
Given the form he has been in, Shivam Dube will definitely keep his place, at least in India's predicted playing XI.
Even though he might not need to bat, he bowled all four overs last time against Zimbabwe. This helped India to get an additional reliable batting option.
With Suryansh Shedge being there, he might get an opportunity to perform in the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe, not in the second T20I.
Bowlers: Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur/Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav
Among spinners, Ravi Bishnoi will keep his place for sure, particularly because he returned 1/24 off his four overs. Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav, who claimed 4/37 combined off their eight overs, will be there as well.
For the remaining place, there is an outside chance Yash Thakur plays the second T20I between India and Zimbabwe. So, he will be included in India's predicted playing XI, potentially coming in place of Ashok Sharma, who made his debut in the series opener, but conceded 0/29 off his four overs.
India's Predicted Playing XI For 2nd T20I Vs Zimbabwe
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur/Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav
Also Read: List Of Indian Players Who Will Miss West Indies ODIs 2026 ft. Shreyas Iyer
.jpg?type=mq "Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Reveals The Reason Behing Celebration")
.jpg?type=mq "Players Who Will Miss West Indies ODIs")
