Former Indian cricketer Reetinder Sodhi feels Team India have to take five specialist fast-bowling options to the T20 World Cup in Australia, apart from Hardik Pandya, who can play as the sixth bowling option. The Indian team named just three frontline pace bowlers for the Asia Cup and with Avesh Khan falling ill, they had no options as well.

While speaking to India News Sports, Reetinder Sodhi said: “If you don’t take five fast bowlers to Australia, where will you take then? So it is a great thought process (on reports of team management wanting five pacers including Shami). Shami’s presence gives you that guidance and experience that’s needed in a big tournament. So it is good to see that we’re learning from the Asia Cup debacle.”

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Sodhi also said that he is happy with the reports that Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel are fit for the T20 World Cup. The two pacers were not part of the Asia Cup campaign due to their injuries.

He stated: “That’s great news (on reports of Bumrah being fit for the T20 World Cup) because India dearly missed him in the Asia Cup. His presence will fill a huge vacuum with his two overs upfront and two overs at the death, where we were horrible in the Asia Cup.”So with Bhuvneshwar struggling, the comeback of Bumrah, Harshal and Shami will give the perfect experience that this team needs.”

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“I feel Arshdeep has almost sealed his place in the squad. He was good in patches with the new ball. But the way he bowled the final over in the two games where the opposition needed just seven runs, he proved that he had the ability to nail the yorkers under pressure. He also has the left-arm angle,” Reetinder Sodhi concluded.