Former India cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth has asserted that he would like to have Mohammed Shami in the T20 World Cup squad in place of Harshal Patel. Srikkanth further stated that Shami has the ability to produce extra bounce and also, he can get early wickets in Australia for the Indian team.
Team India is preparing hard to commence their campaign in the T20 World Cup next month to be played in Australia. BCCI has announced the squad for the marquee event recently and Rohit Sharma will be leading the team while KL Rahul will be his deputy. Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel have returned after both of them missed recent matches due to injuries. However, Mohammed Shami has been added to the reserve players and his exclusion from the 15-member squad has been surprising for many.
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Many former cricketers have opined that Mohammed Shami should play the T20 World Cup in Australia. Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes the same considering the pacer can extract bounce on Australian surfaces and can provide early breakthroughs.
During a cat on Star Sports, Kirhsnamachari Srikkanth said, “If I was the chairman of the selection committee, (Mohammad) Shami is definitely in the team. We are playing in Australia, the guy’s got the 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.”
He further added, “Yes, Harshal Patel is a good bowler, no doubt about it, but Mohammad Shami is the right guy, I mean they can say not the scheme of things, he’s only for test cricket or one day cricket but we are playing in Australia. That guy did well last IPL, so Shami is the must in my team.”
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Mohammed Shami bowled superbly for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022 as he scalped 20 wickets from 16 matches and played a crucial role in their title run. He bowled with an economy of 8 and with a strike rate of 18.30. His omission from the team has triggered a discussion over this move in spite of his IPL records.
