Team India faces a selection of troubles regarding the T20 World Cup set to be held later this year in Australia with only a handful of games left before the start of the tournament. While the management has given several newcomers a chance to impress in the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, it is still not clear whether veteran pacer Mohammed Shami will make the cut to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup.
Ex-player Ashish Nehra said that although Shami might not play in the T20 World Cup in Australia, the managers should “definitely” consider Shami for next year’s ODI World Cup at home. “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 in 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 50-over World Cup next year,” Nehra stated. Shami is likely to feature for India against England during the rescheduled fifth Test (July 1-5) which will conclude the Test series that took place last year.
Also, India and England will also play three ODIs, starting July 11. While highlighting that England is the team to beat in white-ball cricket, Nehra said that India would want to play their best players, adding that Shami is definitely one of them. “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 your best bowlers. I would definitely take Shami in that bracket,” he added. Speaking of the England vs India Test series, the visitors lead the series 2-1 after the fifth Test was canceled due to a Covid outbreak in the Indian camp.
