Shivam Dube and Ramandeep Singh Join T20I Squad for England Series
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Synopsis
Shivam Dube replaces Nitish Kumar Reddy in the T20I squad against England. Ramandeep Singh joins as a cover for the injured Rinku Singh. The BCCI confirms Reddy's absence due to a side strain, while Dube's recent performances show promise as India leads the series.
Key Takeaways
- Shivam Dube replaces Nitish Kumar Reddy in the T20I squad.
- Ramandeep Singh is called up as cover for injured Rinku Singh.
- Reddy's recovery from a side strain is expected to take 3-4 weeks.
- Dube contributed to India's 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup victory.
- India leads the T20I series against England 1-0.
New Delhi, Jan 25 (NationPress) Shivam Dube has been appointed as the replacement for Nitish Kumar Reddy in the current T20I series against England. Meanwhile, Ramandeep Singh has been selected to cover for the injured Rinku Singh in the second and third matches.
Earlier reports from IANS indicated that Dube would join the T20I squad before the third T20I in Rajkot on January 28, following Reddy's side strain sustained during the Indian team's practice at the MA Chidambaram Stadium last Friday. Scans revealed that Reddy's recovery will take approximately three to four weeks.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that Reddy is officially out of the ongoing series and will head to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for further treatment.
Dube played a key role in India's triumph at the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the USA last year. His last appearance for India was in August 2024 during an ODI series in Sri Lanka. He missed the 3-0 T20I series against Bangladesh due to a back injury, which also affected his participation in the early stages of the Ranji Trophy. Dube made a comeback for Mumbai in the 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 151 runs in five innings at an impressive strike rate of 179.76, while also taking three wickets at an economy rate of 9.31, contributing to the team’s title victory.
In a recent Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir, Dube unfortunately scored a duck in both innings while managing to take one wicket, as Mumbai faced a five-wicket loss at the Sharad Pawar MCA Cricket Academy Ground in the Bandra Kurla Complex.
India secured a victory in the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata by seven wickets, with 43 balls to spare. In that match, Reddy made two catches, including an impressive diving catch, but did not have the chance to bat or bowl.
The BCCI also reported that Rinku Singh suffered from a lower back spasm while fielding during the T20I series opener against England on January 22, which India won by seven wickets. “He is making significant progress and is under close observation by the BCCI medical team. He has been ruled out of the second and third matches in the ongoing five-match T20I series,” the statement read.
As a replacement, seam-bowling all-rounder Ramandeep, who made his debut during last year’s tour of South Africa, will join the squad for the upcoming matches. Currently, India leads the five-match T20I series 1-0 against England.
Before the second T20I in Chennai, India faced another injury concern when left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma twisted his right ankle and was seen limping during practice, raising questions about his availability for Saturday’s match. Nonetheless, the BCCI has included Abhishek in their revised squad.
India’s updated squad includes: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Axar Patel (VC), Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Shivam Dube, and Ramandeep Singh.
