Mohammed Shami to be included in the T20 WC squad, Here's why selectors take U-Turn

By Karan Rawat Aug 14, 2022, 18:13 IST

With the T20 World Cup just two months away, India suffered a big setback in terms of their pace-bowling department. India's ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah suffered a back injury which has led him to be ruled out of the Asia Cup. On the other hand, Harshal Patel has also suffered an injury and is not part of the Asia Cup squad.

The injuries to both Indian pacers have left the Indian think-tank wondering and have made them take a total U-turn towards the veteran Indian pacer, Mohammed Shami. Earlier, the selection committee confirmed that Shami is no longer in the scheme of things for the T20 format.

That is why he wasn't even considered for the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup. Despite the injuries to Harshal and Bumrah, India went with Avesh, Arshdeep, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But now the equation has started to tilt towards Shami and he is back on the selection radar for the T20 World Cup.

Some media reports suggest that the selection committee is looking to pick him for the upcoming home series against South Africa and Australia after the Asia Cup. The injury to Bumrah is serious, and Harshal has also sustained a concerning injury to his ribs.

So if in case these two pacers will not make it to the World Cup squad due to injruy, so India will look for an experienced pacer in the mega event. Shami played his last T20I match in the last World Cup in the UAE. And since then, he has been ignored by the selectors.

The management has given more chances to the likes of Harshal, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and a few more. In a report by InsideSport, a member of the selection committee said that Shami knows the Australian conditions better and is likely to make it to the team.

The member said, "See, Shami isn’t getting any younger and that is why we have to manage his workload too. That is the reason he was informed about T20s (Not selecting). But if we have two premier pacers injured, we have to fall back on someone reliable in Australia."

That is one of the reasons that Shami might get a second chance because of the injury crisis. The Indian board needs to submit their final squad by September 15. Bumrah might make it to the team. But if not, the BCCI is likely to go with Shami and Bhuvneshwar.