After months of recovery, Mohammad Shami is set to make his comeback to the Indian cricket team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, starting January 22. The pacer, who last played in the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia, has been sidelined due to injury and surgery.
Shami underwent ankle surgery and was ruled out of India’s Test series against Australia after medical assessments indicated knee swelling that needed further attention. While away from international cricket, Shami stayed in action by representing Bengal in both the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, signaling his readiness for the national team.
In addition to Shami, the squad includes Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh as the other pace options, with the spin attack led by Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, and Washington Sundar. India will also field a dynamic lineup of top-order batters, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, and Rinku Singh in key roles.
The biggest surprise in the squad selection, however, has been the omission of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Despite his significant role in India’s limited-overs setup, Pant has not been included in the squad for the T20I series, and the BCCI has not provided an official explanation for his exclusion.
A look at the Suryakumar Yadav-led squad for the T20I series against England 🙌#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/nrEs1uWRos
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2025
Team India’s squad for the T20I series against England announced- 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 Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk)
