The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed India’s tour to Zimbabwe. The Men in Blue will play 5 T20Is after the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
The apex body of Indian cricket is helping cricket boards with less financial clout. India played a three-match T20I series in Ireland in 2023.
With the Zimbabwe Cricket Board finding it hard to manage day-to-day affairs, the arrival of the Men in Blue will help them in terms of financial gains.
Harsha Bhogle, the famous sports presenter, took to X to laud the BCCI for its gesture and also hit out at England and Australia for not playing in Zimbabwe.
“India has announced another white ball tour of Zimbabwe, the fifth in the last 13 years. Every such tour improves the finances of the home country. It would be nice if England and Australia did so too having shunned bilateral cricket in Zimbabwe since 2004,” he wrote.
Zimbabwe has been marred by political unrest and a crackdown on citizens, leading to refusal by Australia and England.
Meanwhile, the series between India and Zimbabwe will start on July 6, and the last game is scheduled to be played on July 14. All the matches will be contested in Harare.
India will send their B team as all the senior players would be tired after taking part in the World Cup in the West Indies and the USA.
Even in the past, the senior players had opted out of the games against Zimbabwe to manage their workload.
Zimbabwe, under Sikandar Raza, has become a competitive unit in the shortest format of the game. They will not give up easily against the visiting team.