5 Indian players from the 2021 T20I home series against England who are not part of the 2025 series ft. Virat Kohli

The highly-anticipated India-England white-ball games are set to get underway with the five-match T20I series, starting in Kolkata on January 22. With both teams boasting their near full-strength T20I sides, the series promises to be a thriller for the short format fans.

India have been on an incredible run in T20Is, winning the 2024 T20 World Cup and not losing a bilateral series since 2023. Meanwhile, England have been more up and down in T20Is despite winning their most recent series against the West Indies 3-1.

The two teams have matched up evenly in their T20I head-to-heads with India holding a slender 13-11 edge in 24 meetings. Their last two face-offs have come in the 2022 and 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finals, with the teams splitting the games en route to their respective titles.

Yet, recent history favors the Men in Blue as they have beaten England in the last four bilateral T20I series, including the last time the two teams met in India in 2020/21.

For India, much has changed from their 3-2 home T20I series win against England in 2021, with several star players missing from then to now.

On that note, here are five Indian players who played the last India-England home T20I series but will not be part of the upcoming 2025 affair.

# 1 Virat Kohli

Kohli had a series to remember in 2021 [Credit: Getty]

Virat Kohli played a massive role in India's 2020/21 series win over England with the bat and as captain. The champion batter led the run-scoring charts for the five matches with 231 runs at an average of 115.50 and a strike rate of 147.13, including 3 half-centuries.

Kohli played a series-winning knock of 80* from 52 deliveries in the decisive final T20I with the series tied at 2-2. Cut to the present and Kohli's form has been a hot topic of discussion, especially in Test cricket.

Yet, he finished his T20I career in style by helping India win the 2024 T20 World Cup with a Player of the Match performance in the grand finale against South Africa. Kohli remains the third all-time leading run-scorer in T20I history with 4,188 runs at a stellar average of 48.69 in 125 outings.

# 2 Rohit Sharma

Rohit played a crucial role in the deciding T20I in 2021 [Credit: Getty]

India's 2024 T20 World Cup-winning skipper Rohit Sharma also played in the 2021 England T20I series but retired from the format after last year's World Cup triumph. The 37-year-old played only the final three T20Is and finished with 91 runs at an average of 30.33 and a strike rate of 144.44.

Yet, his 64 off 34 deliveries in the series decider ensured India piled on the runs (224) and completed a 36-run victory. Rohit is still the all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is with 4,231 runs in 159 matches at an average of 32.05 and a strike rate of 140.89.

# 3 KL Rahul

Rahul could not get going with the bat throughout the 2021 series [Credit: Getty]

KL Rahul was another star Indian batter, especially in the T20I format, who played the 2021 England series at home but will not be part of the action in the upcoming series.

Despite outstanding overall T20I numbers with an average of almost 38 and a strike rate of 139.12, Rahul endured a series to forget in 2021. The 32-year-old played the first four matches and scored only 15 runs at a dismal average of 3.75 before being dropped for the series decider.

While Rahul hasn't retired from T20Is, it looks unlikely for him to feature in the Indian T20I squad in the future, considering his last short-format game for India came in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

# 4 Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal was targetted by the England batters in the middle overs [Credit: Getty]

Yuzvendra Chahal's omission from India's T20I squad baffles many, considering his impeccable overall record and consistently dominant IPL performances. The 34-year-old played in three out of the five T20Is in the 2021 England series but his performances were far from impressive.

Chahal picked up only 3 wickets at an average of 39.66 and an economy of almost 10, forcing India to drop him for the final two matches. Nevertheless, he remains India's all-time leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 96 scalps at an average of 25.09 and an economy of 8.19 in 80 games.

Ironically, Chahal's last T20I outing came the last time India suffered a series defeat in the format in the West Indies in 2023.

# 5 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar was at his miserly best even against the ever-attacking English batters [Credit: Getty]

One of India's most underrated T20I bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, played a key role in their series win in 2021. While he only picked up 4 wickets in the five matches, his economy rate of 6.38 stood out.

Like KL Rahul, Bhuvneshwar hasn't played T20Is for India since the end of 2022 despite still being a star performer in the IPL. The 34-year-old is third all-time in the T20I wicket-taking charts among Indian bowlers with 90 scalps in 87 matches at an average of 23.10 and an economy of under 7.