Last Updated: August 30, 2022, 2:20 PM IST
Team India started their Asia Cup campaign with an impressive win against arch-rivals Pakistan. Men in Blue defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in a nerve-wracking encounter on August 28. India’s bowling attack looked strong against Pakistan and the team didn’t appear to miss the services of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and veteran Mohammad Shami. While Bumrah was ruled out of the Asia Cup after suffering a back injury, Shami was overlooked by the selectors for the multi-nation event. Several pundits believe that Shami is not on the selectors’ radar for the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, former India cricketer Madan Lal believes that Shami still has lots to offer in the shortest format of the game. In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Madan Lal said that selectors are making a big mistake by dropping Shami.
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“Shami should be in the team for the T20 World Cup. He is our best bowler after Bumrah. I would prefer 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,” Madan Lal was quoted as saying by the portal.
Madan Lal, who was a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, went on to say that the Indian selectors are making a big mistake if they don’t pick Shami for the all-important ICC event. He added, “He is 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.”
In the high-voltage match against Pakistan, India’s bowlers looked in terrific form. The Indian pace attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar peppered the Pakistani batters with a barrage of short balls.
In fact, Bhuvneshwar Kumar recorded the best bowling figures for an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is with figures of 4/26. India will take on Hong Kong on August 31.
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