IND vs ENG: Here’s why Mohammed Shami is not playing today’s match at Eden Gardens

Right arm fast bowler Mohammed Shami has been excluded from India’s playing eleven for the first T20I against England at Eden GardensCalcutta. Despite expectations that he would return to international cricket after recovering from injury, Shami’s absence has raised eyebrows among fans.

Reasons for Mohammed Shami’s exclusion

The decision to leave Shami out of the squad comes as India opt to lean heavily on their spin department for this match. captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed that team management decided to include only one specialist pace, Arshdeep Singhwhile relying on off-road bowling Hardik Pandya i Nitish Kumar Reddy.

“The port looks sticky, there will be dew later. It will be heavier later.” Yadav said at the draw. “Selection a good headache, sticking to our strengths,” he said when asked about Shami’s absence.

Meanwhile, England have made several changes to their T20I squad and named Brendon McCullum as his new white ball coach. With a line-up full of batting powerhouses, the team looks formidable on paper, promising an explosive start to the first T20I.

“It looks like a good game, I’m sure it will be a good game. There will be a bit of dew around. It’s a great ground, it’s an honor to play against India in these conditions.” said the England skipper Yes Butler after losing the draw. “McCullum taking over, he’s got a lot of experience. It’s going to be a challenge, we’re ready. There’s incredible talent on both sides,” he added.

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IND vs ENG: Playing XI of both teams

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

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

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