Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has that India has taken a huge risk by picking just 4 fast bowlers for the T20 World Cup 2022. The Men in Blue selected Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, and Arshdeep Singh as their specialist seamers, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
India has kept Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Shami in the reserves for the T20 tournament. Johnson reckoned that India should have included opted for more options citing the playing conditions in Australia.
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As per the quotes in PTI, Micthell Johnson said, “If you got an all-rounder (fast bowling) and a couple of spinners, four fast bowlers, it is a bit of a risk. But India is probably looking at playing two pacers and an all-rounder (Hardik Pandya) and two spinners. In Australia, you surely need to play three fast bowlers, possibly four in certain conditions, for example, in Perth. I guess they have a plan going in but it is a bit of a risk if you only take four (pacers).”
Mitchell Johnson also opined that it’s not necessary for all fast bowlers to possess the capability of bowling more than 90mph. The veteran talked about the Ashes in 2013-14 when the likes of Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris lent him support.
Elaborating the same, the southpaw pacer said, “Those kinds of things are funny (That all should bowl at 145 plus). If someone can bowl 145 plus, you don’t need another guy bowling at the same pace. You need guys that back each other up, work together.”
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Mitchell Johnson concluded, “During the 2013-14 Ashes, there was a lot of talk about me bowling fast and that was great, but at the other end, I had Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris, who had their own strengths and could also hit 140s. So it is all about the balance in the team. The main thing in Australia is the extra bounce and pace and adjusting your length, you can get carried away and bowl a bit too short.”
