IND vs ENG: Mohammed Shami returns, Axar Patel named vice-captain as India announce T20I squad

Mohammed Shami last played for India in the World Cup 2023 final.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami is set to return to international cricket after over 14 months as he’s been named in the 15-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, starting on January 22.

The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series. Shami’s fitness and bowling rhythm will be monitored closely in these matches as India will be building for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will start on February 19.

Shami last played for India in the ICC World Cup 2023, where he was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. He then had an ankle surgery last February.

He returned to domestic cricket late last year but knee-related issues forced him to miss the latter part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, which India lost 3-1 and missed his experienced presence.

Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side. Axar Patel has been named the vice-captain in the absence of Shubman Gill, who was named the white-ball vice-captain last year for the Sri Lanka tour. Patel is Suryakumar’s deputy despite the presence of Hardik Pandya in the squad.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Dhruv Jurel, and Washington Sundar have been picked. They missed the last T20I series in South Africa as they were part of India’s test squad in Australia. Ramandeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal, and Vijaykumar Vyshak have been dropped from the squad that won the T20I series in South Africa.

Multi-format players Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are not part of this squad. They featured in the BGT 2024-25 and are expected to be part of the ODIs against England.

IND vs ENG: India’s T20I squad for England series

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (vice-capt), Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, Washington Sundar

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