'Means a lot to me': Deshpande makes debut against Zimbabwe

NEW DELHI: Medium pacer

Tushar Deshpande

has been handed his T20I debut, as he replaced fellow pacer Avesh Khan in the India playing XI during the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Saturday.
Having played four seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pacer has amassed 42 wickets from 36 matches.
"Very happy to be here. It all goes back to my childhood days when I dreamt of playing for my country.

Being here wearing the blue feels very proud. Means a lot to me. The atmosphere is really great here. Playing for CSK in the IPL helped me. That experience will surely help me in the internationals. I started as a batsman, so that comes naturally to me, looking to refine it and I have been working on it. Overall the atmosphere in the team is chill," Deshpande said after getting the cap.
The ongoing series has already featured the debuts of

Abhishek Sharma

,

Riyan Parag

, Dhruv Jurel, and Sai Sudharsan, with Deshpande becoming the fifth player to make his debut.

Shubman Gill

, India's skipper in the ongoing series, won the toss and chose to bowl in the fourth T20 International against Zimbabwe on Saturday as they look to seal the five-match series.
The five-match T20I series between India and Zimbabwe will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday. India, captained by Shubman Gill, initially relied on youth and talent in the first T20I, which contributed to their loss. However, they quickly regrouped and secured a resounding 100-run triumph in the second match.

In the third T20I, India bolstered their squad with the inclusion of experienced players such as Shivam Dube,

Sanju Samson

, and

Yashasvi Jaiswal

. This strategic move paid off as India claimed a comfortable 23-run victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.
Washington Sundar has emerged as a vital player, particularly after the powerplay. He has claimed five wickets in the middle overs at an economy rate of 4.60, making him the joint-leading wicket-taker in the series alongside fellow spinner Ravi Bishnoi, each with six wickets to their name.