Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, Harshit Rana likely to be included in T20I team under Gautam Gambhir

Indian cricketer Shreyas Iyer may get another shot at securing the BCCI central contracts after the likely appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach. It is being said that Gambhir is the top contender to replace Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of Team India after the T20 World Cup 2024. 

Also Read: 'When we come to USA...': India coach reveals REAL REASON on why Shubman Gill was released in T20 WC

Likely candidates for Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka series

Shreyas Iyer and Gautam Gambhir recently teamed up at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to win the IPL 2024 title. Iyer, who has demonstrated strong leadership with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, might also be a contender for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe starting on July 5. However, his most promising opportunity for a comeback seems to be the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

"Shreyas is currently not at NCA. Here mostly those players are there, who have performed in the IPL and will be in contention for Zimbabwe selection.

"Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal are all at the camp. Some will go to Zimbabwe T20Is," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

"However, there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI that India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had 500 plus runs (530) in World Cup and averages just around 50. Can you drop him?" he added.

It is understood that seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, will now focus on ODIs and Tests for the remainder of the season with nine WTC Tests between September 2024 to January 2025.

Also Read: Vaughan suggests Kane Williamson looks to Virat Kohli for inspiration after NZ's T20 WC Exit

The schedule includes two home games each against Bangladesh and New Zealand, five away against Australia and the marquee ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

While there will be a lot of new players in T20Is including IPL stars, the likes of Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed are also expected to travel to Zimbabwe.

In case Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are not rested, they are expected to be the designated captain and vice-captain for the tour although both have been playing constantly since the start of the IPL. 

(With PTI inputs)