The Indian selectors have picked Mohammed Shami as the replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah in the squad for the T20 World Cup, which begins in Australia on Sunday. The Indian think tank went for the seasoned Shami ahead of Mohammed Siraj. The other reserve medium-pacer, Shardul Thakur, was never in the race.
Seasoned campaigner
Shami has loads of experience. The 32-year-old is a veteran of 60 Tests and has also featured in 82 One-Day Internationals. In the absence of Bumrah, the team management was keen on having an experienced seamer on the bouncy tracks Down Under.
Also, the Men in Blue wanted a quick bowler at the death as the general belief is that you could get away if you have pace. The other senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has leaked runs at the death in recent games. Bhuvneshwar lacks pace and the batters have taken a liking to him in the end overs. Also, Bhuvneshwar is likely to bowl the majority of his overs up front in the Powerplay.
By picking Shami in the squad, the selectors have made it clear that only one between Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel is likely to feature in the playing XI. Young seamer Arshdeep is a specialist death-over bowler, while right-arm medium-pacer Harshal relies on his variations. The fact that he's a left-armer could work to Arshdeep's advantage despite the fact that Harshal is a more handy batter and fielder. Harshal is slowly finding his rhythm after returning from an injury lay-off.
Shami last played in a T20I in the World Cup in the UAE in 2021. But there is no question mark over his ability and he could pick up wickets with the new ball. The tournament also presents Shami with a chance to make amends after a poor show in the last edition. Though he may have played only 17 T20Is so far, Shami has been a regular in the Indian Premier League and he's used to the high-pressure world of T20 cricket.
The fact that swing bowler Deepak Chahar, who was on the initial standbys list, was also ruled out owing to a back injury, made the job of the sectors easier. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid had hinted that Shami was the most likely candidate to replace Bumrah.
Dravid was a conventional player and it's no secret that he's preferred experience over youth while picking the squad for the mega event. Off-spinner R Ashwin at 36 and 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik got the nod ahead of rookie leggie Ravi Bishnoi and strokeplayer Sanju Samson.
Warm-up fixtures
Shami's last international game was the third and final ODI against England at Manchester in July. After that, he missed the T20I series against Australia and South Africa due to COVID-19. The warm-up matches against Australia on Monday and the Kiwis on Wednesday will help the team management assess his fitness and rhythm ahead of India's opening encounter against Pakistan on October 23.
