India Opt to Bowl First, Deshpande Makes International Debut in Zimbabwe T20I

India, led by Shubman Gill, opted to bowl first in the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday. The decision was made after Gill won the toss for the fourth time in the series.

Tushar Deshpande, the Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings fast bowler, made his international debut for India. He replaced Avesh Khan in the only change from the third game. Deshpande's selection is a testament to his impressive performance in the IPL, where he was CSK's highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in 13 games.

India's XI remained largely unchanged, with four openers batting from positions 1-4 and only four specialist bowlers. Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma will be expected to contribute with the ball.

Gill expressed his desire to exploit the early-morning conditions and improve India's performance in the death overs. Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza emphasized the importance of leveling the series at 2-2 and outlined his vision for the team's development leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe made one change, bringing in Faraz Akram, the Saudi Arabia-born allrounder, in place of Wellington Masakadza.

Tags: #India, #Zimbabwe, #T20I, #ShubmanGill, #TusharDeshpande