India are currently undergoing a transition in their T20I outfit after several seniors like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the format following their 2024 World Cup win. Here is the list of players who have made their T20I debut for India this year.
Shortly after their title-winning campaign, World Champions India flew to Zimbabwe for a five-match T20I series under a new captain Shubman Gill.
In the first match alone, India named as many as three debutants in their XI to try different combinations concerning the changing demands of the format ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. They added two more over the course of the series.
Here is the list of players who have made their T20I debut for India in 2024:
Abhishek Sharma – Cap no. 111, vs Zimbabwe
Abhishek had a breakthrough year in the 2024 IPL, which saw unprecedented scoring rates. His exploits at the top for Sunrisers Hyderabad made it difficult for selectors to ignore him. He had a forgettable outing in the first match of the series against Zimbabwe, in which India faced an upset but lived up to the hype with a record-breaking 46-ball hundred in the second match.
Dhruv Jurel – Cap no. 112, vs Zimbabwe
Having impressed in his debut Test series against England earlier this year, Jurel was one of the front-runners to be India’s wicketkeeper for the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, a poor IPL saw him slide down the pecking order. A chance finally came in the same match as Abhishek's. He played two games but didn’t do anything significant.
Riyan Parag – Cap no. 113, vs Zimbabwe
Finishing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24 as the leading run-scorer (510 at an average of 85 and a strike-rate of 183), Riyan also had a career-defining IPL season after struggling over the years. He was rewarded with an international call-up in the Zimbabwe series. Riyan became North-East India's first men's international cricketer when he made his debut, along with Abhishek and Jurel in the series opener.
Riyan Parag finally turned over his indifferent form with an #IPL2024 to remember.
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) May 25, 2024
The backing he received from Rajasthan Royals over the last few years! pic.twitter.com/PmZaNCdUiC
B Sai Sudharsan – Cap no. 114, vs Zimbabwe
A batter with an eye-catching technique, the highly rated Sai Sudharsan was handed his T20I debut in the second match of the Zimbabwe series after a superb outing in India’s 2-1 series win in South Africa in December last year, followed by a decent IPL. He played once but didn't get a chance to bat.
Tushar Deshpande – Cap no. 115, vs Zimbabwe
Deshpande made his international debut in the fourth T20I against Zimbabwe. Previously, Gill hinted at rotating the pacers throughout the series, meaning a chance was just around the corner. The Mumbai pacer replaced Avesh Khan, who played the last three matches, for the last two matches. Deshpande is one of the few domestic pacers with a fast bowling contract from the BCCI.
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