 "The trio of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant were rested for te India vs England T20I series keeping the 20325 Champions Trophy in mind, Image: AP / PTI")
The BCCI on Saturday announced the Team India squad for the five-match T20I series against England at home, that will get underway in Kolkata on 22 January. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side features Mohammed Shami , the returning pacer, as well as Dhruv Jurel, who has been named as a back-up wicketkeeper for Sanju Samson. However, the squad does have a few notable absentees in Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant.
Why Jaiswal, Gill and Pant weren’t selected in India squad for England T20Is
Jaiswal, Gill and Pant played in India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia recently, which the Indians lost 1-3. India have a hectic schedule coming up after the five T20Is against England, with a three-match ODI series against the same opposition and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy that begins on 19 February. According to a report in the Times of India, the trio have been rested for the T20I series keeping their fitness in mind and also “allow them to recover” from the five-match Test series against Australia.
Explained | Why India included Mohammed Shami for England T20s despite pacer not being a regular in the format
“Pant, Jaiswal and Gill have been rested from this series to allow them to recover fully after a gruelling five-Test Border-Gavaskar series in Australia, for the ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy in February,” a source was quoted as saying by the Times of India. The three-match ODI series against England will begin on 6 February.
Pacer Mohammed Siraj, too, has been rested in order to manage his workload. Mayank Yadav, another pacer, also missed the cut as he continues to recover from a back injury.
How Jaiswal, Gill and Pant performed in Australia
Yashasvi Jaiswal ended up as India’s top run-getter in the Test series against Australia with 391 runs from 10 innings. He scored two fifties and one century Down Under. Gill played just three out of the five Tests and managed to score just 93 runs from five innings. Pant, who scored a 29-ball fifty in Sydney, aggregated 255 runs from nine innings.
India’s 2025 Champions Trophy campaign
India, who will play all of their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, will begin their campaign with a Group A match against Bangladesh on 20 February . The Men in Blue will then take on arch-rivals Pakistan on 23 February, before ending their group stage against New Zealand on 2 March.