Mohammad Shami Returns to India's T20 Squad for England Series

India has announced a 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against England, with Mohammad Shami making his return to the team after nearly 18 months. The series opener is scheduled to take place on January 22 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Shami last played for India in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup before being sidelined due to an injury. Although he recovered and participated in domestic cricket, he did not make it back to the national team until now. Speculation arose about his inclusion during the latter stages of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but he was not selected. Now, he has been brought back for the T20I series against England.

India’s squad features Suryakumar Yadav as captain, with Axar Patel named vice-captain. India has opted for a spin-heavy attack, including four spinners and three pacers, with Jasprit Bumrah rested for this series.

T20I Series Schedule:

1st T20I: January 22 – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
2nd T20I: January 25 – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
3rd T20I: January 28 – Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
4th T20I: January 31 – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
5th T20I: February 2 – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

India's T20I Squad Against England:

Suryakumar Yadav (Captain)
Sanju Samson
Abhishek Sharma
Tilak Varma
Hardik Pandya
Rinku Singh
Nitish Kumar Reddy
Axar Patel (Vice-Captain)
Harshit Rana
Arshdeep Singh
Mohammad Shami
Varun Chakravarthy
Ravi Bishnoi
Washington Sundar
Dhruv Jurel

The series will serve as a crucial opportunity for India to test its T20I lineup against a strong English side while preparing for upcoming challenges in international cricket.