Former captain names a pacer who should have been in India’s T20 World Cup squad
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Which will be held in Australia in October and November. Rohit Sharma will lead the team in an ICC tournament for the first time, with KL Rahul as his deputy. After missing some recent matches due to injuries, Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah made a comeback. Harshal Patel also joined him. Meanwhile, the fact that Mohammad Shami did not make the team and was instead included as a standby player has been a source of contention.
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Former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes Shami should have made the team.
The cricket veteran went on to say that the Uttar Pradesh-born pacer should have been named to the squad instead of Harshal Patel.
“If I were the chairman of the selection committee, (Mohammad) Shami would definitely be in the team because we’re playing in Australia, the guy’s got real action, the guy’s got bounce, he can bare the moment and he can get on early wickets, so I would have probably got Shami instead of Harshal Patel,” Srikkanth said on Star Sports.
“Yes, Harshal Patel is a good bowler, no doubt about it, but Mohammad Shami is the right guy, I mean they can say not in the scheme of things, he’s only for test cricket or one day cricket, but we’re playing in Australia, and that guy did well in the IPL last year, so Shami is a must in my team.”
Shami, who played for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2022, appeared in 16 matches and took 20 wickets. During the season, his bowling economy was 8.00 and his strike rate was 18.30. The right-arm pacer was instrumental in Gujarat Titans’ championship victory.
“You look at Mohammad Shami’s IPL record from last year. Fantastic! He has early wickets. Who will give (early wickets)?” Srikkanth wondered.
Apart from Bumrah and Harshal, the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 also includes Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh. Sanju Samson, the wicketkeeper-batter, did not make the cut, while Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Axar Patel form the spin attack.
Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar’s Playing XI For The T20 World Cup
