The 2018 T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia in October-November, will feature a 15-member squad, according to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who made the announcement on Monday. Rohit Sharma will serve as the team’s captain for the first time in an ICC tournament, with KL Rahul serving as his assistant. After both players missed several previous matches due to their different injuries, Jasprit Bumrah, the Indian pace spearhead, and Harshal Patel joined him on the field. What has generated controversy, however, is the fact that Mohammad Shami was not selected for the team but was instead included as a standby player.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth, a former cricketer for India, thinks Shami ought to have been on the roster. The former cricket player stated that the pacer from Uttar Pradesh ought to have been selected over Harshal Patel. “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,” said Srikkanth on Star Sports. “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 has done well last IPL, so Shami is the must in my team.”
Shami, who represented Gujarat Titans, a new team, appeared in 16 games and recorded 20 wickets in the Indian Premier League 2022. His season bowling economy was 8.00, and his strike rate was 18.30. The right-arm pacer was essential to Gujarat Titans’ championship triumph. “Mohammad Shami is a frontline bowler. You check his IPL record from last year. Fantastic! He has got early wickets. Who will give (early wickets)?” questioned Srikkanth. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep are the other two full-time pacers on the Indian team for the T20 World Cup 2022, in addition to Bumrah and Harshal. Sanju Samson, a wicketkeeper-batter, was unsuccessful. The spin attack is comprised of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Axar Patel.
