Team India will take on England in a five-game T20I series after the end of the Test tournament. Starting 12th March, all games would be held at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. With the T20 World Cup, these five games will have plenty of relevance. Team India will also get a good opportunity to freeze its core ahead of the event. In line with this, the selectors have announced a squad that has as many as four newcomers. However, there were a few players who were absent from the final list due to various reasons. Here are the six players we are talking about:
1. Jasprit Bumrah
The leader of the Indian bowling attack, Jasprit Bumrah, will miss the T20I series against England. It’s more of a workload management topic to keep Bumrah fresh for the upcoming tournaments. Nevertheless, India will not miss the experience of Bumrah. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will return to the team and lead the bowling unit. There is also an ODI series, and it needs to be seen if Bumrah would return.
2. Ravindra Jadeja
The injury that he suffered in the third Test against Australia is posing problems for Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder could not participate in the England Test series, and he will now miss the T20I games too. Jadeja is an important part of the Indian Team. He adds tremendous balance to the side and offers depth in both departments of the game. Not to forget, Jaddu is a gun fielder as well.
3. Manish Pandey
Could it be the end of the road for Manish? Well, it seems to be an injury, but if guys like Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan nail down their spots, the Karnakata lad could well find it hard to return to the team. There is a cut-throat competition for places in the middle-order, and Manish needs to have a terrific IPL to come back into the scheme of things. It is unfortunate for Manish to lose his place despite not getting sufficient opportunities to showcase his skills.
4. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson is yet another unlucky player in the Indian cricket circles. He performs in IPL, but when it comes to the Indian Team, Sanju doesn’t seem to crack the code. He has now missed out on a place in the Indian Team. Ishan Kishan has taken his place and going by the Jharkand player’s present form, Sanju might find it hard to make a comeback. A good Vijay Hazare Trophy and an excellent IPL is the only road ahead for the Kerala man.
5. Mayank Agarwal
After a terrific IPL 2020, Mayank Agarwal earned a spot in the Indian T20 team for the series against Australia. However, since then, Mayank’s form has not been great across formats. Rohit has anyways returned to the squad, and hence, Mayank drops out. That said, there could be a glimmer of hope for him if Shikhar Dhawan is not at his best. A reserve opener would be necessary, and Mayank might get his chance.
6. Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami will not play the T20Is against England. He was part of the series against Australia but due to an injury, Shami will not be part of the team. Although he is close to recovery, India might be keeping Shami fresh for the ODIs and forthcoming tournaments. That said, the West Bengal pacer will not have an easy road back to the T20 team. There is T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur, whom Shami must overcome to occupy a spot in the final list.
