IND vs AFG: Anil Kumble Backs Mohammed Shami To Play Ahead Of Shardul Thakur Against Afghanistan In ICC World Cup 2023

Former India captain Anil Kumble backed pacer Mohammed Shami to play ahead of Shardul Thakur in the upcoming match of the ICC World Cup 2023. Anil Kumble emphasised that Mohammed Shami‘s inclusion would strengthen India’s bowling attack against Afghanistan.

The Rohit Sharma-led team will take on the Afghanistan team at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. The home team started with three spinners in their previous game in Chennai but might consider a three-pacer combination for the next match.

Would Lean Towards Having A Mohammed Shami – Anil Kumble

In a conversation with ESPNCricinfo, Anil Kumble highlighted the importance of dismissing Afghanistan’s in-form opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, early in the match.

“I know India have used Shardul Thakur, but I would lean towards having a Mohammed Shami in terms of quality and ability that he brings in because you look at Afghanistan, Gurbaz has been their go-to player and he is in great form, so you would want to get Gurbaz early with three quality opening bowlers,” Anil Kumble told ESPNCricinfo.

Shami picked up four wickets when India faced Afghanistan in the last ODI World Cup in 2019. The right-arm pacer recorded a hattrick in the final over to guide the team to a victory.

Shami has not been the preferred choice as a fast bowler in ODI cricket. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj were picked as the specialist pacers. Shardul Thakur was preferred over Shami due to his ability to contribute to the team’s batting depth.

Team India secured a clinical victory against Australia in their first match of the World Cup. In contrast, Afghanistan experienced a substantial defeat against Bangladesh. Notably, Afghanistan came close to defeating the Indian cricket team in the 2019 edition in England.

India World Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav

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