Team India have left out Mohammed Shami from the Playing XI for the 1st T20I against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Despite his knees heavily strapped, the seemingly fit-again 34-year-old pacer bowled for close to half an hour at the side nets before the toss.
Thereafter, India captain Surya Kumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl.
'A good headache (playing XI selection), we want to stick to our strengths,' Yadav said at the toss.
'The wicket looks sticky, there will be dew later on. It will be heavier later on.
'The preparations have been good, looking forward to this series. It's going to be great competition between both the sides.'
Following India's win the 1st T20I, opening batter Abhishek Sharma presented the reason for not picking the veteran bowler.
'I feel it's the decision of the team management and they thought it's a better option keeping in mind of these conditions' Abhishek told the press.
Shami's comeback has drawn significant attention in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, especially with a fitness cloud hanging over star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who developed a back niggle during the fifth Test in Sydney.
'The hunger to play for the country should never end. If you love it, you will always fight back, no matter how many injuries you face,' PTI quoted Shami as saying at a Cricket Association of Bengal event on Monday, speaking about his return.
'No matter how many matches I play, it always feels like less. Once I leave cricket, I may never get this chance again,' he added.
India's 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
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