After much anticipation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced the squad for the T20 series against England. Under the leadership of captain Suryakumar Yadav, this series is set to commence at the end of the month. One of the most surprising inclusions in the squad is the star fast bowler Mohammad Shami, who is making his return to T20 cricket after being absent for over a year. The selection committee has delayed the announcement for the ODI series and Champions Trophy selections for a few days, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
Mohammad Shami’s Comeback After Two Years
The selection meeting held on January 11 at the BCCI headquarters was chaired by chief selector Ajit Agarkar, where the team was finalized. Shami’s re-entry into the T20 squad is particularly striking as he has not played an international T20 match since the 2022 World Cup. His return raises hopes for participation in the upcoming ODI series and the Champions Trophy.
Upcoming T20 Series Details
The five-match T20 series between India and England will kick off on January 22 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Besides Shami’s inclusion, the selection committee made few surprising choices. Notably, the spin-allrounder Axar Patel has been named as India’s vice-captain for this series. Most of the selected players are those who participated in the recent tour of South Africa in November.
🚨 NEWS 🚨
Mohammad Shami returns as India’s squad for T20I series against England announced.
All The Details 🔽 #TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank https://t.co/jwI8mMBTqY
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2025
Players Not Included
Interestingly, prominent players from the T20 World Cup-winning team, including Rishabh Pant and Shivam Dube, have not been named in the squad for this series. It remains unclear whether Pant has been rested in light of the upcoming ODI series and Champions Trophy or if he has been left out entirely. Dube, on the other hand, has failed to secure a place in the team. Another notable omission is Shreyas Iyer, who recently led Mumbai to victory in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy but is expected to be part of the ODI series.
Indian Squad for the T20 Series
The selected players for the T20 series against England are as follows: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (Vice-Captain), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarti, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, and Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper).