With the Champions Trophy round the corner, India will seek to live up to its World Champion reputation in the five-match T20 series against England that begins at Kolkata&rsquo;s Eden Gardens today .&nbsp;
This comes after Team India&rsquo;s disastrous Test series rout at home and away against New Zealand and Australia respectively.
The series against England will also feature three One-Day Internationals as well.&nbsp;
Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India will have a few challenges in hand in this series. This may be mitigated by the much-awaited comeback by fast pacer Mohammed Shami into the side. Shami last played for India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia in November 2023. He underwent surgery for a heel injury that ruled him out of the action till November last year when he turned up for his state side Bengal in the Ranji Trophy.
Interestingly, bowler Axar Patel debuts as vice-captain in this series.&nbsp;
On the other hand, pacer Mark Wood will make his return to the team for the first time since August. He will join Jofra Archer and Jamie Overton in England&rsquo;s pace-attack as the visitors announced their playing XI for the series opener on Tuesday.
India and England have faced each other 24 times in T20Is, with India holding a slight advantage with 13 wins to England&rsquo;s 11. However, India have won five of the last seven T20I encounters between the two teams since 2021. Their last T20I clash occurred in the semifinals of the 2024 ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 Cricket World Cup, where India secured a memorable victory.
The series will begin in Kolkata and then move to Chennai, Rajkot, Pune, and Mumbai for the remaining matches. The final T20I will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 2.
Following the T20I series, the two teams will compete in a three-match ODI series starting at Nagpur on February 6, which will give fans a peek into India&rsquo;s preparation for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The T20I squad was announced by the selectors on January 18, but there is no word on the ODI squad for the three matches against England this series yet.
&mdash;IANS
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Mohd Shami in focus as Team India seek to gain winning start to season ahead of Champions Trophy

India v/s Eng T20I Series Begins Today

Mohd Shami in focus as Team India seek to gain winning start to season ahead of Champions Trophy

January 22, 2025 | 18:14 IST