Mohammed Shami has made a comeback to the Indian cricket team for the five-T20I series against England starting January 22. The star pacer has been out of the national team since the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia on November 19. had nursing injuries and even underwent ankle surgery. Recently, he was ruled out of the India vs Australia Test series after the BCCI concluded that swelling in his knee required a little more inspection.
Shami has played for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in recent months.
However, there were also some surprises in BCCI's selection. Rishabh Pant has not been picked for the T20I series, in which India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. Dhruv Jurel and Sanju Samson are the two wicketkeepers. The BCCI did not give any reason as to why Pant was ignored.
All-rounder Shivam Dube was also not picked, but India's new hero Nitish Kumar Reddy was selected.
Along with Shami, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh are the other pacers in the team. The spin department consists of Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar. Besides Suryakumar Yadav, the other star players in the squad are Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh.
Mohammed Shami's inclusion in the T20I series against England is a clear indication that the fast bowler is very much in the reckoning for a place in the Champions Trophy. After the Border Gavaskar Trophy debacle, the Indian cricket team will be desperate to win the ICC Champions Trophy. Having Mohammed Shami in the lineup will strengthen the Indian attack.
The BCCI has reportedly requested a postponement from ICC following the announcement of the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy. However, the Indian T20I squad for the England series is likely to drop soon.
While ICC allows teams to make changes one month after the preliminary squad is announced, it appears that the BCCI will need more time to finalize the squad for the tournament in Pakistan and UAE.
Indian squad for the T20I series against England: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk).
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