IND vs SA: Dinesh Karthik Admits India Missed Mohammed Shami After Shambolic Day 2 With Ball

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik after watching the Indian bowling line-up in shambles in the 2nd innings of the 1st Test at Centurion, admitted that the visitors are undoubtedly missing the services and expertise of right-arm fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who was withdrawn from the 2-match Test series 10 days before the 1st match.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had released an official statement, confirming the absence of Mohammad Shami from India’s squad for the red-ball phase of the South African tour. BCCI themselves ruled Shami out as he was not deemed fit enough to play and Prasidh Krishna was named as his replacement in XI.

Krishna was in fact handed a Test debut cap by Jasprit Bumrah before the toss at Centurion with India deciding to go with 4 pacers – Siraj, Bumrah, Krishna and Shardul, and Ravichandran Ashwin as the spinning option who made his way into the team after Ravindra Jadeja suffered a neck spasm on the day of 1st Test as confirmed by Captain Rohit Sharma.

It was being said that India will definitely miss Mohammed Shami as he was perhaps in the form of his life and was carrying positive momentum from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He was far ahead of any other bowler in the tournament in terms of performance and impact.

After missing India’s first 4 matches against Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, Shami was brought in place of all-rounder Hardik Pandya who was eventually ruled out of the tournament for an injured ankle. Mohammed Shami proved his worth in his very first CWC 2023 match against New Zealand, picking 5 wickets by giving away 54 runs with India winning by 4 wickets.

The 33-year-old also became the man of the match for his stellar performance. In the following fixture against reigning champions England, Shami remained shy of just 1 wicket from completing a consecutive 5-wicket haul in the World Cup.

In the league stages, the only match in which Mohammed Shami remained wicketless was against the Netherlands in India’s final league phase match. In the semi-finals, Shami wreaked havoc against the Kiwis as he collected 7 wickets for 57 runs in 9 overs.

Talking about the Finale might open up wounds but Shami took 1 wicket and finished the tournament as the highest wicket taker with 24 wickets in just 7 wickets.

Also Read: Ranji Trophy 2024: Karnataka Announce Mayank Agarwal As Captain For Upcoming Ranji Season

Dinesh Karthik Believes Mohammed Shami Would Have Definitely Taken Wickets

While speaking to Cricbuzz, discussing about India’s bowling performance on Day 2, Dinesh Karthik said that had Mohammed Shami been a part of the 1st Test, he would have definitely taken a couple of wickets.

“The man has grown in stature as a bowler and as a leader of the pack. He is an able lieutenant to Jasprit Bumrah. You can imagine with the upright seam on this kind of pitch. I promise you, he would have definitely gotten a few wickets. The Indian team really misses him,” Karthik said.

He also spoke about the current set of bowlers and their performance based on his own observation, highlighting that the bowlers leaked a lot of runs, especially Siraj.

“Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj going for just 111 in their 31 overs. Siraj was a tad bit expensive, especially in the last spell, they also bowled some brilliant balls. You could see every time they were on, you got the feeling that they could get you a wicket or two. Whereas with Shardul or Prasidh, you had to wait for a batter to make a mistake.” – Karthik concluded.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Aakash Chopra Trolls Broadcasters Over KL Rahul’s Historic Ton In Centurion