Mohammed Shami Returns To India Squad For England T20Is, Sanju Samson Picked Over Rishabh Pant

Mohammed Shami will make a return to the Indian team during the T20I series against England, the BCCI confirmed as they announced the India squad for the five match series. Sanju Samson was preferred as a first-choice keeper ahead of Rishabh Pant while Dhruv Jurel was picked as the backup keeper-batter. Jurel was selected in place of Jitesh Sharma. All-rounder Nitish Reddy also earned a call-up after his impressive performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Riyan Parag was not picked in the India squad due to an injury.

Meanwhile, Shami's comeback to the Indian team is a massive boost for team India who are sweating over the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah. The ace India pacer picked an injury during the fifth Test against Australia which put his ICC Champions Trophy participation in doubt. If Bumrah misses out, Shami's presence in the squad will add much-needed experience to the bowling line-up.

Shami last played for India in the ODI World Cup 2023 where he ended as the leading wicket-taker, taking 24 wickets, however, he picked up an ankle injury and was ruled out. Shami returned to cricket in the Ranji Trophy and also played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, boosting hopes of a return to the India squad in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but was declared unfit to play five-day cricket due to swelling in his knees.

The five-match T20I series will get underway on January 22, with the final on February 2. After the T20Is, the teams will lock horns in a three-match ODI series which will serve as a preparation for the ICC Champions Trophy.

India T20 squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk).

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