KOLKATA: Seamer Mohammed Shami started training with the India squad at the iconic Eden Gardens ahead of the T20I series against England. With Jasprit Bumrah out of the squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series, Shami is expected to lead the Men in Blue attack.
Last year, Shami returned to domestic cricket with Bengal after undergoing an ankle surgery that kept him sidelined for nearly a year. Shami had also been a part of Bengalโs squad for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Shami had made an impressive comeback to competitive cricket, having last featured in the ODI World Cup 2023 final. Following ankle surgery and overcoming a series of setbacks, he returned to action for Bengal in a Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh in November.
On January 11, Shami was added to the India squad for the upcoming T20I series against England. Taking to X, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a few glimpses of the 34-year-old getting back on the track with the Men in Blue. Team India bowling coach Morne Morkel was keeping a close eye on Shami during his first practice session with the Men in Blue after coming back from injury.
Heโs BACK ๐ช๐ป
Team India ๐ฎ๐ณ
Mohd. Shami ๐
Eden Gardens ๐๏ธJust perfect ๐๐ป#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @MdShami11 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/PwCuEOcaDA
โ BCCI (@BCCI) January 20, 2025
Meanwhile, Shami took to his official Instagram handle and said that he is ready to make the citizens proud once again. โAll set Ready to make you all proud once again.. keep your love supportโ, Shami wrote on Instagram.
The five-match T20I series will kick off on January 22 in Kolkata. The second and third matches will be held on January 25 and 28 in Chennai and Rajkot, respectively. The fourth game of the series will be played on January 31 in Pune. Mumbai will host the final match of the T20I series on February 2.
Indiaโs squad for the T20I series against England: 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 Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (WK). (ANI)