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Madan Lal, Mohammed Shami (image source- Twitter)
India got off to a great start in the Asia Cup 2022 after defeating Pakistan in the first match. Indian bowlers went into the tournament without veterans Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Despite that, they were able to contain a strong Pakistan batting unit to a low score.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar led the bowling and took four wickets in the match. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan proved to be a great support to the 32-year-old bowler.
As opposed to Bumrah, whose absence is due to a back injury, Shami's exclusion has no reason other than the selectors' plans. Notably, the 31-year-old, who is a regular starter in Tests and ODIs, is not in India’s plans for the T20I format.
Former Indian World Cup-winning cricketer, Madan Lal, however, thinks that the management should reconsider Shami for the upcoming T20I World Cup in Australia later this year. He also suggested that not picking him would be a “big mistake” by the board.
Acknowledging Shami’s wicket-taking abilities in an interaction with Sportskeeda, Lal said, “Shami should definitely be in the team for the T20 World Cup. He’s our best bowler after Bumrah. I would look for a bowler who could get me wickets. I don’t want bowlers who would only look to contain runs. Batters will keep scoring runs in this format. The only way to stem the flow of runs is to take wickets.”
"The Indian selectors will make a big mistake if they don’t pick Shami. He’s a great bowler and has done well in Australia in the past. I don’t understand why they are not picking him for T20s. You think he’s not a better bowler than those who are playing now? He’s one of the best bowlers in world cricket," he warned.
Mohammed Shami has been performing well in the Indian T20 League. In the latest edition, he led the Gujrata bowling unit to their maiden win in their debut season. The 31-year-old took 20 wickets in 16 matches at an impressive economy of eight.