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The T20 World Cup may be only months away but India's squad is far from settled with coach Rahul Dravid still trying numerous young batters and bowlers in the ongoing series against South Africa at home. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah who was given a break from the five games against the Proteas is a certainty in any Indian line-up given the variations he has in his arsenal. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar Kumar‘s stupendous record in the format will make sure he becomes Bumrah's new-ball partner in Melbourne. But the same things can't be said about Mohammed Shami, the only senior pro who hasn't played T20Is for Team India for a long time. Former India fast bowler Ashish Nehra has now thrown some light on why Mohammed Shami hasn't been part of the Indian cricket team in the shortest format in recent times and why he will not be on the flight to Australia later this year.
“It seems like he is not in the plans at the moment (for T20 World Cup). But, if the management needs Shami, we all know his abilities as a bowler. I can understand if he doesn't play the T20 World Cup. He will continue to play Test cricket, and even if you want to give chance to young players, they should definitely consider him for the the 50-over World Cup next year,” Ashish Nehra said during an interaction on Cricbuzz.
“We don't have many ODIs this year and Shami is on a break at the moment after IPL. India can play him in England for the 50-over games after the Test match. You will play three ODI games against a top-quality white-ball team like England, and you would definitely love to beat them. And for that, you need to have your best bowlers. I would definitely take Shami in that bracket,” he added.
Ashish Nehra may have shared his views on why Mohammed Shami wasn't in India's scheme of things in T20Is, the Gujarat Titans (GT) pacer was among the best bowlers in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Mohammed Shami was one of the architects of Gujarat's title triumph in their debut season in the prestigious competition. With 20 wickets to his name, he was the leading wicket-taker for the Hardik Pandya-led side in the 2022 season of the IPL.
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During the tournament, Mohammed Shami had spoken about his success in the cash-rich league, emphasising that more than the variations, it was about the line and length which allowed him to grab so many wickets in the event.
“In T20 cricket, we focus on variations — slower ones, bouncers. But according to me, it’s about bowling in the right areas then it becomes a difficult score. That’s always my game plan,” Shami had said during a Gujarat Titans' press conference.
“The white ball does not swing after a few overs. So it’s always my gameplan to use the new ball as much as you can. You can say it’s all about experience. It’s very important to control your line and length. You keep thinking many things when you play the T20 format,” he explained.
Mohammed Shami will be back in action at the start of next month when India will play the rescheduled fifth Test match of the series against England in Nottingham.
India currently lead the series 2-1 and if they manage to defeat Ben Stokes and his boys in the final match, it would be their first victory on English soil since 2007.
