Samson misses out as India name a young T20I squad for the Zimbabwe tour
India left Sanju Samson out and handed maiden call-ups to three uncapped players in the 15-man squad named for this month’s three-match T20I tour of Zimbabwe.
Jul 10, 2026
India have left Sanju Samson out and turned to a clutch of uncapped names for the trip to Zimbabwe. The selectors named a 15-man squad on July 6 for the three-match T20I series in Harare, and the shape of it says plenty about where the side is heading after a bruising white-ball run in England.
Shreyas Iyer keeps the captaincy he was handed in June. Around him sits a group weighted towards youth and towards players the selectors still want a longer look at, with several senior bowlers left at home for the tour that runs from July 23 to 26.
Three uncapped players get the nod
The headline from the announcement is the trio of debutants-in-waiting. Fast bowlers Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma both earn maiden India T20I call-ups, and wicketkeeper-batter Prabhsimran Singh is rewarded for a heavy run of domestic and franchise scoring. Left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey, who made his India ODI debut against Afghanistan in June, is also in line for a first outing in the shortest format.
It is the kind of squad a short assignment against a lower-ranked side is built for. The matches sit outside any major tournament window, so India can afford to see what the next tier looks like without much riding on the result.
Samson pays for a lean run
Samson’s absence is the talking point that will travel furthest. He was named Player of the Tournament when India won the T20 World Cup earlier this year, top-scoring across the knockouts and hitting 89 in the final against New Zealand. A slump in the months since has been enough for the selectors to move on for now rather than keep carrying him. With Prabhsimran and Ishan Kishan both in the squad as gloveman options, India have cover behind the stumps without him.
He is not the only notable name missing. Mohammed Siraj, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have all been left out of the seam and spin plans for this tour, a rest as much as a snub given the volume of cricket the frontliners have got through. That clears the runway for Thakur, Ashok Sharma and the returning Mayank Yadav, back in an India squad for the first time since October 2024 after a long spell lost to injury.
Sooryavanshi keeps his place
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, still only 15, holds onto his spot after breaking into the setup earlier this year. He sits in a top order that also carries Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Iyer, with Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube offering the finishing power lower down. Rinku is back in the mix after a spell out of the side.
The all-round mix leans on Dube and Suryansh Shedge, while Varun Chakaravarthy anchors the spin attack alongside Harsh Dubey. It is a balanced enough unit for the conditions in Harare, even if the names are unfamiliar next to India’s first-choice XI.
What the tour is really for
Three T20Is in four days against Zimbabwe will not tell India everything, but it gives fringe players a rare stage in national colours and lets the selectors bank some evidence before the busier months ahead. For Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Prabhsimran and Harsh Dubey, it is the chance every domestic season is built around. For Samson, it is a reminder that a place in this India side has to be earned again and again.
India squad: Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Prabhsimran Singh, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav.