NEW DELHI: Mohammed Shami made his much-anticipated return to international cricket after a gap of 14 months as the India pacer was named in the playing XI for the third T20I against England in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Shami, who has not played for India since the ODI World Cup final in November 2023, was not included for the first two matches of the series, raising questions over his fitness.
The 34-year-old has been selected for the ongoing five-match series, the subsequent three ODIs, and the Champions Trophy.
Shami replaced left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh as India captain Suryakumar Yadav announced the lone change in the team after electing to bowl first for the third consecutive time.
Shami underwent ankle surgery in February last year and faced calls for inclusion in India’s Test squad for the Australia series.
However, he could not regain full fitness in time, despite participating in domestic cricket.
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson (W), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Paatel, Mohammed Shami, Rai Bishno, Varun Chakravarthy
