Mohammed Shami's first delivery back in international cricket after almost 15 months was a bit loose, but it still had that classic Shami seam position and shape. The ball swung a lot but didn’t bounce much. Pahil Salt took a big swing, but the ball moved away from him and went straight to the keeper. After seeing it bounce once before reaching Sanju Samson, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav decided to pull the slip out.

Rajkot isn’t exactly a bowler’s paradise, but Shami was used to tough situations. After being away from international cricket for over 14 months, he was eager to seize any chance he got, especially since India chose to rest Arshdeep Singh for the third T20I against England.

On his second delivery, Shami aimed to tighten his line, bringing it closer to the right-hander. Salt swung hard again and somehow got it past Shami for a boundary. It wasn’t the most convincing shot, and Shami was aware of that. For the next four balls, he kept Salt on his toes, mixing in an in-dipper and an away-swinger until Salt finally managed to get off strike on the fifth ball. The last ball of the over also resulted in a single, this time off Ben Duckett’s bat.

Shami faced off against England's captain, Jos Buttler, in the next over. He delivered a stunning outswinger that completely outsmarted Buttler. The Indian team even had a quiet appeal for an out. Sunil Gavaskar, who was commentating at the time, was left amazed by Shami's seam position. "Wow! Just look at that seam, perfectly straight and shaping away, absolutely brilliant," Gavaskar exclaimed, praising Shami's skill.

In his next five balls, the 34-year-old gave away a four and a six before being taken out of the bowling rotation. He ended up allowing 15 runs in his first two overs, marking his first T20I appearance since the T20 World Cup semi-final against the same team in 2022.

What really matters to the Indian team management, more than the wickets or runs, is how Shami approaches his game in this and the upcoming T20Is against England.

With questions surrounding Jasprit Bumrah's fitness and Mohammed Siraj not being selected, Shami steps up as the clear leader of India's pace attack for the Champions Trophy. He was included in the squad for these five T20Is and the upcoming three ODIs to get some crucial match practice. So, it was a bit surprising when India decided not to include him for the first two games of this series.

The 34-year-old made his comeback to competitive cricket last year after recovering from an ankle injury, playing for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Despite his domestic performances, the selectors chose not to include him for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Read Also: Virat Kohli Inspires Teammates with Passionate Call on Ranji Trophy Comeback

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