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Mohammed Shami is reportedly set to make his return to the Indian team during the upcoming five-match T20I series against England
Mohammed Shami last featured in Indian colours during the 2023 ODI World Cup final. (Image: Sportzpics)
The veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami is reportedly set to make his return to the Indian team during the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, beginning on January 22 in Kolkata.
A report by the Indian Express claims that the pacer is set to make his return in the home T20I series against England, set to begin later this month. The fast bowler last played in an international game in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia and after his brilliant campaign, the 34-year-old has been sidelined due to an ankle injury and has been out of action for more than a year.
The veteran’s road to recovery was not an easy one but he persisted by proving himself in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali and also the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy to show that he is fit and ready to be called up to the Indian side. He was even tipped to be included in India’s tour to Australia but a swelling to his knee resulted in his international comeback being postponed.
Shami’s return to the national team will be a welcome addition as the Indian selectors will look to make an assessment regarding his fitness for the 50-over series that comes up later and also take a call regarding his inclusion in the Champions Trophy.
The report also suggested that the pair of Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy will also be selected for the upcoming T20I games. Jurel who has featured in four Tests and two T20Is could make a return to the shortest format as India’s second-choice wicketkeeper-batter behind Sanju Samson.
Reddy, on the other hand, comes in after an impressive tour to Australia where he finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in the five-match affair with 298 which includes one century.
Riyan Parag however, will miss out on the England T20Is due to an injury.
Interestingly, Yashasvi Jaiswal is tipped to make his return to the T20I squad as well. Looking at the options at hand, it could mean that he is a guaranteed starter at the opening position where he could partner up with Sanju Samson.
India T20I Squad Vs England: Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Nitish Reddy, Mohd Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar.
