Samson’s absence from the Zimbabwe series is curious only because he is part of India’s full-fledged squad for the 2026 Asian Games, which will be held in Japan in September. While the BCCI did not specify the reason for Samson’s exclusion – whether he was rested or dropped – he was among seven changes to the T20I squad that is currently playing the five-match series in England. Axar Patel, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi were the other players not included in the 15-member Shreyas Iyer-led group traveling to Zimbabwe.
Middle-order batter Rinku Singh and fast bowler Mayank Yadav returned to the T20I squad, while wicketkeeper-batsman Prabhsimran Singh, fast bowlers Yash Thakur and Ashok Sharma and left-arm spin all-rounder Harsh Dubey received their first T20I call-ups.
Dubey’s selection means he has now made it into all three squads. He was earlier included in the Test squad against Afghanistan but made his international debut in the ODI series against the team last month. Prabhsimran, Thakur and Ashok were part of the victorious India A campaign in Sri Lanka.
Prabhsimran was Punjab Kings’ highest run-getter in IPL 2026, scoring 510 runs (all in the first round) at a strike rate of 168.87, while Ashok was impressive in the matches he played for Gujarat Titans. It wasn’t just his wickets that got him noticed, but also his fastest speed of the season – 154.2 km/h.
Kohli passes fitness test, Dube returns to ODIs
Meanwhile, the decks were also cleared for Virat Kohli, who underwent a fitness assessment at the Council of Europe in the third week of June after he missed the Afghanistan ODI at home with a hamstring strain. Kohli underwent a fitness assessment and received the RTP (return to play) certificate ahead of England’s ODI.
Kohli suffered an injury towards the end of his title-winning IPL 2026 campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He finished the season as the fourth highest scorer, making 675 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 165.84, his best in a single game.
The Indian ODI squad also includes Shivam Dube, who will replace Nitish Reddy. The all-rounder is still undergoing rehabilitation at the Center of Excellence and hopes to recover from a quadriceps injury ahead of the Test tour to Sri Lanka in August. Dube has not featured in the ODI squad recently, having played the last of his four ODIs in July 2024.
India’s ODI series in England ends on July 19 and they will play the first T20I against Zimbabwe on July 23, followed by matches on July 25 and 26, all in Harare.
Samson’s absence from the squad saw him left out of the playing squad for the second T20I against England at Old Trafford, where 15-year-old Vaibhav Suoryavanshi became India’s youngest men’s debutant and opened the innings with 14 off 10 balls. Samson scored 5, 0 and 1 in two matches against Ireland in Belfast and in the first T20I against England in Durham. However, before IPL 2026, he hit three consecutive half-centuries to lead India to the 2026 T20 World Cup title and was named player of the tournament.
For Mayank, the call-up is a second chance in the Indian T20I team after playing three matches in 2024 following an outstanding IPL season in which he hit speeds in excess of 150 kmph. However, since then he has become extremely injury-prone and has spent significant time on the sidelines. He played just four matches for Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2026 and did not take a single wicket while conceding an over at 11.37.
India T20I squad to tour Zimbabwe
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Varun Chakaravarathi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh (wk).
India’s updated ODI squad for England tour
Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), K.L. Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Gurnur Brar, Shivam Dube.