Who is Kamakhya Saikia? Everything to know about India's new team manager for Zimbabwe tour

India's tour of Zimbabwe will begin with a new manager in the dressing room. Kamakhya Saikia, a cricket administrator from Assam, has been appointed as the manager of the Indian senior men's team, which will be held from July 20 to July 28.

Saikia is a former Joint Secretary of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) and currently serves as the General Secretary of the Dibrugarh District Sports Association. His appointment was confirmed by the ACA, which called it "a proud moment for the entire cricket fraternity of Assam."

In a statement, the ACA congratulated Saikia on taking up the role with the national team and wished him success during the Zimbabwe tour.

From Assam cricket administration to Team India dressing room

Saikia is no stranger to BCCI assignments. In 2019, he was appointed as the BCCI observer for the Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Two years later, he was named the board's observer for the second T20I between India and New Zealand in Ranchi.

Those appointments reflected the BCCI's confidence in his administrative experience, and his latest role as India's team manager marks another step in that journey.

While the manager works behind the scenes, the role is an important one. It involves coordinating logistics, ensuring smooth communication between the team and the BCCI, and handling off-field responsibilities throughout the tour.

Shreyas Iyer's India under pressure ahead of Zimbabwe series

Saikia joins the Indian camp at a challenging time. India head to Harare after T20I series defeats against Ireland and England, putting added focus on how the young side responds.

Shreyas Iyer will lead the team, with VVS Laxman serving as interim head coach. Several players will be looking to cement their places, while India will also be aiming to avoid another disappointing overseas result.

Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza has already said that both teams have an equal chance of winning the series. His comments underline the challenge awaiting India despite the difference in rankings.

Can Shreyas Iyer lead India's response after consecutive series defeats? Will the young squad cope with the pressure? And can Sikandar Raza inspire Zimbabwe to another memorable home series?

The answers will begin to emerge when the first T20I gets underway in Harare on July 23.

India squad: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh.

Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Clive Madande (WK), Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Milton Shumba.