"Instead of saying jaanbaaz (daredevil) cricketer we will say Shahbaz cricketer" - Twiteratti react as Bengal all-rounder earns maiden India call-up

Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed earned his maiden national call-up on Tuesday (August 16) ahead of India's upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. He joins as a replacement for the injured all-rounder Washington Sundar.

Sundar suffered a shoulder injury in the Royal London One-Day Cup 2022 during a game between Lancashire and Worcestershire. He received treatment from the medical staff on his left shoulder following a heavy landing while fielding. The 22-year-old did not return to the field thereafter and opted out of subsequent games.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday confirmed that Sundar has been ruled out of the series, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s Shahbaz Ahmed taking his place.

Fans were extremely delighted with Shahbaz's inclusion in the Indian team. Many stated that the hard work has finally paid off for the all-rounder.

Here are some of the best reactions:

Shahbaz had a decent outing in IPL 2022, scoring 219 runs in 16 matches. He also picked up four wickets and is a handy left-arm spinner and a gun fielder.

The uncapped all-rounder also enjoys a decent List A record. He has played 26 List A matches, amassing 662 runs at an average of 47.28 and scalping 24 wickets at an economy rate of 4.43.

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India's updated squad for Zimbabwe series

The Men in Blue will be involved in a three-match ODI series with Zimbabwe, which gets underway on August 18. The Harare Sports Club will host all three games.

KL Rahul will lead the squad after he was cleared by the medical team to participate in this series. Veteran batter Shikar Dhawan, who was originally named as the captain, will be Rahul's deputy.

India squad: KL Rahul (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Shahbaz Ahmed.