NEW DELHI: Star India pacer Mohammed Shami, who made his return to India’s squad after over a year-long injury break, was not included in the playing eleven for the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav surprised many with his decision to omit Shami, explaining that he preferred to stick to his strengths for the match.

“We will look to bowl first. The wicket looks sticky, there will be dew later on. It will be heavier later on. The boys have been amazing. The preparations have been good, looking forward to this series. It’s going to be great competition between both the sides. A good headache, we want to stick to our strengths,” Surya said after opting to bowl first.

Shami last played for India in the 50-over World Cup final in November 2023 and recently made his return to competitive cricket by featuring in a few domestic matches.
After undergoing heel surgery, Shami was initially expected to rejoin the Indian squad in Australia in December but was unavailable for the 1-3 Test series defeat.
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy