• Source:JND
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India vs England T20I: India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first against England in the opener of the five-match T20I series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Star pacer Mohammed Shami, who was expected to make his international comeback in the this match, was left out of the playing XI for the opener. 

The Indian team management will be closely monitoring Shami's physical condition, particularly after a lengthy recovery period from ankle surgery that was further complicated by knee issues, keeping him sidelined for over a year.

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On the other hand, England is embarking on a new chapter with Brendon McCullum expanding his role to oversee the white-ball teams, in addition to his existing responsibilities with the Test side.

Having successfully transformed England's Test setup, the former New Zealand captain will aim to replicate this success in limited-overs cricket, bringing his unique approach and expertise to the shorter formats.

Talking at the time of toss Suryakumar said, "We will look to bowl first. The wicket looks sticky, there will be dew later on. It will be heavier later on. The boys have been amazing. The preparations have been good, looking forward to this series. It's going to be great competition between both the sides. A good headache, we want to stick to our strengths."

England captain Jos Buttler said, "Looks a good wicket, I'm sure it's going to be a good match. There will be some dew around. It's a great ground, it's an honour to play against India in these conditions. Everyone is in a good spot. It's nice to be together, a lot to look forward to. McCullum taking charge, he has a lot of experience. It's going to be a challenge, we are right up for it. There is some incredible talent in both sides. Saqib Mahmood, Brydon Carse, Jamie Smith and Rehan Ahmed will miss out."

Playing XIs:

England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

India (Playing XI): 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