Wed Jan 22 13:43:47 UTC 2025: ## India Ousts Shami, Bowls First Against England in Kolkata T20 Thriller
**Kolkata, India** – In a surprising move, India captain Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl first after winning the toss against England in the first T20I at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. The biggest surprise, however, was the omission of star pacer Mohammed Shami from the playing XI, despite him being seen bowling in the nets earlier.
Yadav explained the decision, stating that India would “stick to our strengths.” He noted the potentially sticky wicket and the anticipated dew later in the game. “The wicket looks sticky, there will be dew later on,” he said. “It will be heavier later on. A good headache, we want to stick to our strengths.”
England captain Jos Buttler, while acknowledging the challenge, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to compete. He confirmed that Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith, and Rehan Ahmed would not be featuring in the match. Buttler highlighted the “incredible talent” on both sides and the exciting match ahead.
The match promises to be a thrilling contest between two strong sides. The Indian team saw a significant change in bowling line-up with the absence of Shami.
**Playing XIs:**
**India:** Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (w), 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 (w), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
First Piper 