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Mohammed Shami makes his long-awaited return to the India squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, which begins on January 22 in Kolkata. Shami, who last played for India during the ODI World Cup final in November 2023, had been sidelined due to ankle surgery and knee-related issues. His inclusion in the T20I […]
Mohammed Shami makes his long-awaited return to the India squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against England, which begins on January 22 in Kolkata. Shami, who last played for India during the ODI World Cup final in November 2023, had been sidelined due to ankle surgery and knee-related issues. His inclusion in the T20I squad marks a significant comeback after months of recovery.
The T20I squad, led by Suryakumar Yadav, was announced by the selectors on Saturday. However, India’s ODI squad for the three-match series against England in February, as well as the provisional 15 for the Champions Trophy, has yet to be revealed. The deadline for submitting the Champions Trophy squad is January 12.
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Jasprit Bumrah was notably absent from India’s 15-man squad for the T20I series against England, with uncertainty surrounding the injury that kept him from bowling during Australia’s second innings in the fifth Test in Sydney. The nature of his injury remains unclear, and his absence raises questions about his fitness moving forward.
Rishabh Pant, India’s preferred wicketkeeper during the 2024 T20 World Cup and in previous T20Is against Sri Lanka, was also left out of the squad, likely due to rest following India’s Test series in Australia. Along with Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were also rested. For the T20Is, Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel have been named as the wicketkeepers. Meanwhile, batting allrounder Riyan Parag was unavailable due to recovery from a shoulder injury.
The selectors have made several changes to India’s T20I squad for the upcoming series against England, leaving out five players who were part of the 15-man squad that won a 3-1 series in South Africa last November. Ramandeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal, and Vijaykumar Vyshak have been replaced by Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Dhruv Jurel, and Washington Sundar, who missed the South Africa series due to their involvement in India’s Test tour of Australia. Additionally, fast bowler Mohammed Shami returns to the squad after a lengthy absence, having recovered from injury.
Shami has been in strong domestic form since his return to cricket in November 2024. He played all nine of Bengal’s T20 matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, taking 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.85. However, in the subsequent Vijay Hazare Trophy, he only featured in three of Bengal’s seven 50-over games, claiming five wickets at an average of 25.80. Throughout this period, there was speculation about whether Shami would be fit to join the India Test squad in Australia, but recurring knee swelling prevented his inclusion.
Axar Patel has been appointed vice-captain for the T20I series against England, as confirmed by the BCCI. This marks the first time India has named a vice-captain in their recent T20I squad announcements, as previous series against Bangladesh and South Africa did not specify one. Prior to this, Shubman Gill had been the vice-captain when India played the T20I series in Sri Lanka last July.
India will host England for a five-match T20I series across various cities, including Kolkata, Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai, from January 22 to February 2. Following the T20Is, India will face England in three ODIs in Nagpur, Cuttack, and Ahmedabad. These ODIs will be India’s only 50-over fixtures before the Champions Trophy begins on February 19, marking a brief but important period of preparation for the major tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 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
Australia’s spinners dominated England’s batting in the opening ODI of the Women’s Ashes, with Ashleigh Gardner and Alana King taking five wickets between them. Despite being in ideal batting conditions at a sold-out North Sydney Oval, England’s batting faltered, and they were bowled out for just 204 in the 44th over. Gardner was the standout performer, claiming 3 for 19, while King contributed with 2 for 35. Annabel Sutherland and Kim Garth each took two wickets, ensuring England’s total was well below par.
Heather Knight top-scored for England with 39 runs, but her team’s inability to build partnerships hurt them throughout the innings. Danni Wyatt-Hodge was the next-highest scorer, laboring to 38 off 52 balls. England’s innings began nervously, with Maia Bouchier fortunate to survive an early dismissal after a marginal no-ball call. Bouchier’s struggles continued, and she was eventually dismissed for a low score, as Garth’s delivery drew an outside edge, caught behind by Alyssa Healy.
Knight and Tammy Beaumont attempted to steady the ship, putting on a 50-run partnership for the second wicket. However, Beaumont’s dismissal for 13 off 31 balls, chipped straight to mid-on, left England in trouble. Nat Sciver-Brunt’s brief cameo, which included a six off King, was cut short when she was dismissed by Gardner, holing out to Ellyse Perry at deep midwicket. Knight soon followed, falling to the same fate, leaving England in a precarious position.
As England’s middle order crumbled, Amy Jones looked promising for a while, hitting a six and two boundaries off Garth. However, after building a 50-run stand with Wyatt-Hodge, she fell cheaply, caught off King for 31 off 30 balls. Alice Capsey’s struggles continued as she was dismissed for just 4, chipping Garth to backward point. England’s tail-end, including Sophie Ecclestone and Lauren Filer, fought briefly, but their resistance was short-lived. Ecclestone was dismissed for 16, following England’s pattern of soft wickets, and Lauren Bell was bowled out by a beauty from Gardner to end the innings.
Gardner’s 100th ODI wicket was the final blow to England’s innings, as they were bowled out for a disappointing 204. Australia now had a manageable chase ahead of them, having kept England to a below-par total despite some resistance in the lower order.
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