
CHENNAI: The return of Mohammed Shami was the biggest highlight of India’s T20I squad against England. However, there are some subtle changes from the squad that toured South Africa in November.
Shami, making his international comeback for the first time since the ODI World Cup in 2023, will be auditioning for the Champions Trophy. The veteran made his comeback in the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy and was in contention to make in squad for the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, intermittent issues meant Shami was not able to make the cut in time. The Champions
Trophy is followed by the IPL where Shami will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad and then there is a five-Test series in England. This series could be prove vital in determining where he stands in terms of fitness and determine the way forward for Shami in international cricket.
Eyes on Reddy
Meanwhile, the focus shifts to the two seam-bowling all-rounders in the squad - Hardik Pandya and Nitish K Reddy. Pandya is a starter in any white-ball side but the way Reddy has evolved in the last month and a half augurs well for India.
Reddy, although coming on the back of a five-Test series, would be itching to go in the shortest format. This series and the matches going forward provides the chance to see if he can be the back-up for Pandya as the youngster continues to work on his bowling. Going forward, the two seam-bowling all-rounders could have a significant role to play in white-ball cricket for India.
Left is the new right
In what is already a top-order packed with left-handers - Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma - that India have Rinku Singh, Axar Patel and Washington Sudar in the middle adds to the intrigue. It has been the trend since 2023 and will continue to see more of. While all five might not necessarily play - Washington will have to wait for his chance - at least four of them are expected to start more often than not.
The ones to miss
From Ramandeep Singh to Vyshak Vijaykumar to Yash Dayal to Avesh Khan, a few of the members who toured to South Africa are not a part of the squad. Jitesh Sharma also is not there and seems to be replaced with Dhruv Jurel, who could be a long-term prospect.
Jurel made his T20I debut in Zimbabwe last year and was a part of the Test team in Australia. However, he did not get any game time after the first Test in Perth. This could be the year that makes Jurel an international regular for India.