Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], January 22 : India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is "excited" about the return of seasoned seamer Mohammed Shami to international cricket.
Shami has been out of India's pace express since appearing in the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia in Ahmedabad. He suffered an ankle injury and underwent surgery, which kept him on the sidelines for a year.
He made an impressive return in competitive cricket for Bengal last year against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He lifted Bengal to a win with his inspirational match figures of 7/156.
Shami continued to find his rhythm in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, which swayed the selectors to bring him back to India's fold.
The experienced quick finished SMAT 2024 with 11 scalps in nine matches at an average of 25.36, and Shami scythed five wickets in three matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
He has been tuning up his scorching pace in the nets in Bengal ahead of the T20I series opener against England, and Suyrakumar is excited to see him back.
"It is always good to have an experienced bowler in your side. He is making a comeback after over a year. I am really excited to see him. I have seen his journey and how he was focusing on his bowling and recovery. It is good to see him back," Suryakumar said in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
With Bumrah not playing due to an injury he sustained in the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Shami Is expected to spearhead the pace attack.
The 34-year-old is expected to line up with Arshdeep Singh and dazzle the English batters with his searing pace. The five-match T20I series will kick off on Wednesday at the iconic Eden Gardens 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.
India's 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).