Shami misses out as India decide to bowl first vs England in first T20I

Indian cricket team decided against picking Mohammed Shami as Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and decided to field first in the first T20I against England, which is being played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday (22 January). SKY’s decision to bat first was inspired by the fact the dew was expected to come in during the chase.

“The wicket looks sticky, there will be dew later on. It will be heavier later on,” Suryakumar Yadav said at the toss. “The boys have been amazing. The preparations have been good, looking forward to this series. It’s going to be great competition between both the sides. A good headache, we want to stick to our strengths.”

No Shami in India’s playing XI for 1st T20I

The biggest shocker from India’s playing XI was that Shami did not make it to the side. He has been picked in the India squad for the first time since the 2023 ODI World Cup but did not join the playing XI in Kolkata. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who missed the T20Is in South Africa due to the Australia your, makes a comeback.

India playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

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Jos Buttler at the toss said he is expecting a “good match” and that it’s an honour to play India in India. “It looks a good wicket, going to be a good match. There will be some dew around. It’s a great ground, it’s an honour to play against India in these conditions. Everyone is in a good spot. It’s nice to be together, looks to look forward to. McCullum taking charge, he has a lot of experience. It’s going to be a challenge, we are up for it. There is some incredible talent in both sides.”

England had announced their playing XI beforehand. Ben Duckett and Philip Salt will open with Jos Buttler coming in at No.3. Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are the four pacers while Adil Rashid is the lone specialist spinner.

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England playing XI: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (w), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

India vs England LIVE streaming channel: The India vs England T20I series is being live streamed on the Disney+Hotstar app/website and the live broadcast is available on Star Sports channels.