Jasprit Bumrah out of India’s T20 series against England, but Mohammed Shami returns to squad | Cricket news
Jasprit Bumrah is out of India’s upcoming T20 series against England, but Mohammed Shami is back after more than a year out due to injury.
Bumrah, 31, suffered back spasms during the fifth and final Test in Australia earlier this month and was unable to bowl during the second innings as the hosts secured a 3-1 series win to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
As such, he was left out of the side, but Shami returns to the side after a knee injury that has kept him out since losing to Australia in the 50-over World Cup final in November 2023.
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been left out of the 15-man T20 squad but is likely rested after playing all five Tests in Australia, with batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill also not included in the Test squad.
Dhruv Jurel and Sanju Samson are India’s options behind the stumps for the England series, while the hosts will be led by captain Suryakumar Yadav.
India are yet to name their squad for the upcoming ODI series or Champions Trophy.
World champions India host England in five T20s from January 22 to February 2, followed by a three-match one-day international series.
India squad for 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 Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (ie).
Atherton: England can take heart from Australia-India series
Sky Sports Cricket’s Michael Atherton believes England can take encouragement from the recent Test series between Australia and India as Ben Stokes’ side prepare to face both teams in the next 12 months.
Australia were easily beaten by 295 runs in the first Test in Perth before fighting back to win the series 3-1, but Atherton has spotted vulnerabilities in the home side’s batting line-up, particularly with the former England captain “optimistic” of a first Ashes win Down Under from 2010/11
Travis Head and Yashavi Jaiswal were the only top batsmen from either side averaging more than 35 – 56.00 and 43.44 respectively – and although the scourge of England’s Ashes past, Steve Smith, matched Head’s two centuries for the series, he averaged modest 34.88, along with other great players, Virat Kohli (23.75), Rohit Sharma (6.20) and Marnus Labuschagne (25.77) are even worse.
England will host India in a five-Test series from June 20 this summer, before traveling to Australia for the Ashes in November.
“The lack of form for India’s best players, Rohit, Virat and others, coupled with an over-reliance on [Jasprit] Bumrah was the difference in the end,” Atherton said on the latest episode of the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“From England’s perspective, I felt they would have received a bit of encouragement… from both sides, actually.”
