Samson, Bishnoi dropped; BCCI picks uncapped Prabhsimran, Ashok, Yash for Zimbabwe T20Is

Sanju Samson’s inconsistency has finally caught up with him, with the BCCI senior selection committee dropping the World Cup-winning wicketkeeper-batter from India’s T20I squad for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe and handing Punjab Kings opener Prabhsimran Singh his maiden international call-up.

Samson, who was named Player of the Tournament during India’s victorious ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, featured in the first three matches of the ongoing UK tour before losing his place to teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

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Along with Samson, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who made a forgettable return to the national set-up, including three back-foot no-balls in the second T20I against England at Manchester, is the other notable omission.

Prabhsimran earned his maiden India call-up after an IPL 2026 season in which he scored 510 runs for Punjab Kings at a strike rate of 168.87, although his form dipped in the latter stages of the tournament.

India have also recalled Rinku Singh, with the selectors looking to address the team’s struggles in the death overs during the ongoing tour of the UK. The designated finisher returns for the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, which begins in Harare on July 23.

Fast bowler Mayank Yadav also returns to the national setup after recovering from injury, while Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma have been rewarded with places in the squad following impressive domestic performances.

The three-match T20I series will be played in Harare on July 23, 25 and 26, with Shreyas Iyer continuing as captain.

Meanwhile, the BCCI also confirmed a change to India’s ODI squad for the ongoing England tour. All-rounder Shivam Dube has replaced the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has been ruled out of the three-match series.

India’s ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (Vice-Captain), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Shivam Dube

India’s squad for Zimbabwe: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathy, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (WK).