The Indian cricket team secured a 3-1 series victory against England. The series posed a challenge for India as they played with a young team in the absence of star performers such as Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul. Despite this, India emerged victorious. However, fans eagerly anticipate the return of their favorite players.
After playing the 5th and final match of the IND vs ENG series, which is a dead rubber on March 7, India will head towards preparing for the T20 World Cup 2024, starting from June 2. The ‘Team in Blue’ would like to have all players available before the start of the world tournament. In this article, we will discuss the possible dates of return for Indian players who are currently unavailable due to different reasons.
Virat Kohli
India’s Stalwart had opted out from the IND vs ENG series because of personal reasons. Later, during the series, Virat welcomed his second child. Virat has not confirmed his return date, but he is likely to return to the field in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Mohammed Shami
Shami has been out from the Indian side since the ODI World Cup 2023. He had undergone surgery on his injured ankle in the UK on February 27. Shami is ruled out of IPL. The Indian pacer would like to come back in the T20 World Cup, but, it would depend on how quickly he recovers.
Suryakumar Yadav
Suraykumar Yadav won the ICC T20 Player of the Year 2023 award. India would require him in the T20 World Cup campaign. The Indian batter underwent groin surgery in Munich, Germany on January 17. He is likely to return in the IPL 2024, playing for MI.
KL Rahul
KL Rahul suffered a quadriceps injury after playing the 1st IND vs ENG Test. Indian management has not cleared whether KL Rahul will be fit to play the 5th Test or not. If he does not play the final Test, then KL will be seen leading LSG in IPL.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant is out of action after a horrific accident on December 30, 2022. All are waiting for his comeback in cricket, and the wait can be over in IPL 2024.
Hardik Pandya
Pandya appeared for the first time after recovering from an ankle injury in a match for Reliance 1 in the DY Patil T20 Cup in Navi Mumbai on February 26. He would be seen in action in the IPL tournament as a captain of MI.
Shreyas Iyer
Iyer was rested after the second Test between India and England due to back spasms and has named himself in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy 2024.