The injured Varun Chakravarthy will be replaced by Ravi Bishnoi in India’s team for the three Twenty20 Internationals in Zimbabwe later this month. After it was determined that Varun, who missed the previous two Twenty20 Internationals in England due to a hamstring injury, would require extra time to heal, Bishnoi was added to the original team.
The first two matches of India’s five-T20I series in England were played by Ravi Bishnoi.
In the second T20I at Old Trafford, the legspinner bowled for 60 runs in his four overs; he also hit three back-foot no-balls and gave up two sixes and a four off the ensuing free-hits. India was not allowed to bowl in the first T20I, which was cancelled after they had batted.
Varun’s injury evaluation and rehabilitation will take place at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. He will be accompanied by fast bowler Harshit Rana, who is almost out of the forthcoming three-match ODI series in England due to a hamstring injury.
Interestingly, Rana’s injury to the same muscle caused him to miss both the IPL 2026 and the T20 World Cup. Mohammed Siraj took his place in India’s 15-man team. Before the most recent setback, he played in the first two Twenty20 Internationals in England and made a comeback during the Twenty20 Internationals in Ireland.
Varun, who has recently battled with form—managing only one wicket in the two T20Is in England while going at 10.28 per over—has suffered another setback with his hamstring issue. He played despite discomfort after breaking his left toe late in the 2026 Indian Premier League, missing the Twenty20 Internationals against Afghanistan and Ireland while recovering.
Prince Yadav, who has previously only played for the England T20I team, might decide to remain for the ODI portion of the tour. With the 50-over World Cup just over a year away, the selectors are eager for Jasprit Bumrah to play frequently in ODIs, thus his comeback will enhance India’s pace stocks for the series. The other front-line seamers in the ODI team are Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, and Prasidh Krishna.
On July 20, India’s team for the Twenty20 Internationals against Zimbabwe is anticipated to arrive in Harare. In order to give regular head coach Gautam Gambhir and his staff a break following the ODI series in England, VVS Laxman, the head of the CoE, will assume the role of head coach alongside assistant coaches Sunil Joshi and Hrishikesh Kanitkar.
In the wake of the series defeats in England and Ireland, Gambhir, BCCI’s top brass, and T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer are also anticipated to be at the center of a review that the board will carry out. India experienced a number of undesirable landmarks during the twin visits, such as their first-ever loss to Ireland, a six-match losing run in Twenty20 Internationals, and their first multi-match bilateral T20I series loss against England.
