The Zimbabwe national cricket team will field a young and dynamic squad against India in the T20I series at the Harare Sports Club. After failing to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Zimbabwe has picked a young squad for the India vs Zimbabwe T20 International series. Zimbabwe will look to rebuild under the new head coach Justin Sammons. The young Zimbabwe national cricket team has an average age of 27 and 558 T20I appearances. Captain Sikandar Raza, at 38 and with 86 matches, is the team's most experienced player. He is followed by 29-year-old Luke Jongwe, who has played in 63 games. In this blog, we take a look at the predicted Zimbabwe Playing XI for the India vs Zimbabwe T20 Internationals.

India vs Zimbabwe T20 International Series: Predicted Zimbabwe Playing XI

1. "X-factor" Antum Naqvi is all set to take on Indian bowlers to cleaners

Zimbabwe has named Antum Naqvi in a young T20I squad to face India, but the 25-year-old batter's inclusion is conditional on his being confirmed as a Zimbabwe citizen. Naqvi, who has applied for citizenship in Zimbabwe, was born to Pakistani parents in Belgium and moved to Australia when he was four, earning a commercial airline pilot's license. Talking about the latest Cricket news, he put his aviation career on hold to pursue cricket. He plays for the Rhinos in Zimbabwe's domestic circuit.

Kickstarting his career as a top-order batter, Naqvi has a strike rate of 146.80 in seven T20 matches and an average of 73.42 in List-A cricket. In January 2024, he scored an unbeaten 300 for Mid West Rhinos in the Logan Cup, becoming the first batter to record a triple-century for any Zimbabwean team. Naqvi also captained the Mid West Rhinos in his second year in domestic cricket in Zimbabwe. The young Zimbabwe national cricket team has an average age of 27 and 558 T20I appearances.

2. Sikandar Raza wants youngsters Bennett, Campbell and Marumani to rebuild Zimbabwe's future

Captain Sikandar Raza recently said that Zimbabwe will be looking to bring in youngsters and rebuild the side to "secure" their future in all three formats. Among those players is Brian Bennett, who put up an all-round show in the fifth T20I against Bangladesh to secure a Zimbabwe win and avoid a series whitewash. Bennet, who made his international debut last year after Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024, picked 2 for 20 and scored a quick-fire 70 runs off 49 balls, ensuring his team did not suffer a 5-0 T20I series sweep.

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 is the fourth ICC event Zimbabwe has failed to qualify for since 2019. Zimbabwe's tour of Bangladesh was an eye-opener for the Zimbabwe national cricket team, which was in the middle of a transition period. After the first match, they dropped experienced batters Ryan Burl and Sean Williams for a few games. Craig Ervine was also replaced at one stage after the third T20I. They wanted to give youngsters Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, and Tadiwanashe Marumani more game time. Sikandar Raza-led Zimbabwe still has a lot of work in front of them, but they want to ensure automatic qualification for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

3. Experienced pacers Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani to take on batting-heavy India

Zimbabwe's seasoned campaigners and star pacers, Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani, who have played 52 and 51 T20I matches, respectively, will hope to take on the powerhouse Indian batting unit in front of their home fans. Zimbabwe recalled allrounders Wessly Madhevere and Brandon Mavuta for the series after they completed their suspension for drug use. Stylish fast bowler Tendai Chatara, who last played the T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, also found a spot after being left out of the series against Ireland and Bangladesh. The exciting India vs Zimbabwe T20 International series will get underway this weekend. The first two matches are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Harare Sports Club, starting at 4:30 p.m. IST.

Predicted Zimbabwe Playing XI for India vs Zimbabwe T20 International Series

Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Sikandar Raza (C), Johnathan Campbell, Clive Madande (WK), Innocent Kaia, Richard Ngarava, Luke Jongwe, Faraz Akram, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani

Zimbabwe squad for T20I series against India: Sikandar Raza (C), Faraz Akram, Brian Bennett, Johnathan Campbell, Tendai Chatara, Luke Jongwe, Innocent Kaia, Clive Madande (WK), Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Brandon Mavuta, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Antum Naqvi, Richard Ngarava, Milton Shumba.

India vs Zimbabwe T20 International series details

The India vs Zimbabwe five T20Is will be played entirely at the Harare Sports Club in Harare. Here's a complete look at the series schedule: