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Why Has Suryakumar's India Dropped Mohammed Shami For 1st T20I vs England?



Shami - (Source:@Johns/X.com)Shami - (Source:@Johns/X.com)

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On Wednesday, January 22, India locked horns against England in the first of the five-match T20I series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. For the first match, Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to field first. However, much to everyone's surprise, Mohammed Shami missed out from the playing XI despite regaining full-fitness. 

Notably, Shami earned his maiden India call-up in over a year as he was out of action for entire 2024 because of a heel injury and knee swelling. It was expected for Shami to feature in the first T20I but his exclusion has come as a shock for the fans. Meanwhile, this article will shed light on the potential reasons why Shami was left out of the first match and gone ahead with Arshdeep Singh as the sole frontline seamer. 

One of the reason behind Shami's exclusion could be his fitness concerns. India also have to look at Champions Trophy in mind which starts in less than a month. Thus, the management has to be extra careful on how they utilise Shami in this series. Further, the right-arm seamer was also spotted with knee braces during practice session and it is possible that he might not be feeling 100% fit. 

Meanwhile, another report mentioned that Shami might have pulled his hamstring during practice, which is when the management were forced to make last-minute changes to the playing XI.

Another reason why the fans are further shocked with Shami's exclusion is because the Eden Gardens' pitch would assist a bowler like him. However, it is possible that Gambhir and SKY would want to stick to their winning formula and have left Shami out as a part of tactical decision. 

Notably, India have named three spinners- Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakaravarthy for the 1st T20I.