India skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and has opted to bowl first on a good looking surface at the Harare Sports Club. (Match Blog|Scorecard)
Explaining his decision to have a bowl, Gill said: "We will field first. I think it looks like a good surface. It won't change much later. It has been long coming. We won an ICC event after 11 years. You always have some expectations from yourself. We have three debutants. Sharma, Jurel and Parag make their debuts."
His opposite number, Sikardar Raza said: "I don't mind batting first. The wicket looks good. Zimbabwe cricket has trusted me with this transition phase. I look for young boys to come out and fight. It is humbling to lead this bunch. Sean has retired. It is a young side. Ervine will have a role in future."
Playing XIs:
India: Shubman Gill (c), Abhishek Sharma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Riyan Parag, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel(w), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed
Zimbabwe: Tadiwanashe Marumani, Innocent Kaia, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza(c), Dion Myers, Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande(w), Wessly Madhevere, Luke Jongwe, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara
India will play a five T20 interationals against the hosts, with the series running from Saturday, July 6 to Sunday, July 14th.
After Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja's retirements, the young squad will be looking to cement their position in the national team.
