Mohammed Shami's India comeback in jeopardy after Kolkata T20I snub, pacer set to miss....

Mohammed Shami is once again set to warm the bench when India and England lock horns against each other in the second T20I of the ongoing five-match series, according to reports.

The veteran fast-bowler was recalled to the Indian team after a gap of more than a year. Mohammed Shami remained on the sidelines for almost a year after suffering an ankle injury during the 2023 World Cup. He played the tournament while carrying the injury and delivered a stunning performance, finishing the competition as the highest wicket-taker.

However, he had to pay a big price for not treating the injury on time. The right-arm pacer had to undergo surgery and spent months on the sidelines, forcing him to miss the IPL as well as the Test series against England, New Zealand, and Australia.

Mohammed Shami finally returned to competitive cricket in November last year after a gap of almost a year. He represented Bengal in domestic cricket. After proving his match fitness, the pacer was finally recalled by the selectors for the ongoing series against England.

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Mohammed Shami unlikely for Chennai T20I:

Many expected Mohammed Shami to play in all the five T20Is against England. However, the Indian team management sprung a big surprise by opting against including him in the playing eleven for the first T20I at Eden Gardens earlier this week.

As soon as it was confirmed that Mohammed Shami would not be playing the first T20I, many feared that the pacer was still not fully fit. However, India opener Abhishek Sharma later downplayed those fears and stated that his senior teammate did not play the game because of the conditions and the combinations.

"I feel it’s the decision of the team management and they thought it’s a better option keeping in mind of these conditions," Abhishek said at the post-match press conference.

And while the fans were hoping that Shami would play the second T20I in Chennai, it looks unlikely as of now. According to RevSportz, the fast-bowler is likely to miss out once again. While the news outlet did not reveal the exact reason behind the decision, it is likely that the pacer would not get a chance because of the conditions in Chennai.

Break - Shami likely to miss a couple of T20 matches from here - chennai looks tough - lets wait for Rajkot

— रोहित जुगलान Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) January 23, 2025

The venue has traditionally assisted the spinners more and India is expected to play with the same combination of one frontline pacer and two spinners.

Meanwhile, India did not miss Mohammed Shami much in the first T20I as they thrashed England by 7 wickets to take the lead in the series. Asked to bat first, England were bowled out for a paltry total of 132 runs. Jos Buttler top-scored for his side, scoring 68 runs off 44 balls.

For India, Varun Chakravarthy claimed 3 wickets while Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel picked up 2 wickets each. With the bat, India chased down the total inside 13 overs thanks to Abhishek's whirlwind knock. The southpaw smashed 79 runs off just 34 balls with the help of 5 fours and 8 sixes.