IND vs PAK: Why Mohammed Shami Was The “Right Choice” To Replace Jasprit Bumrah In T20 World Cup 2022 Squad? Reveals Rohit Sharma

India National Cricket Team captain Rohit Sharma has revealed why the right-arm pacer Mohammed Shami was selected as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah in India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad, asserting that they wanted to have someone experienced in the line-up after the pace spearhead Bumrah got ruled out of the multi-nation tournament.

Shami was originally part of the reserves in the World Cup squad. However, he was included in the 15-man squad after Bumrah got ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.

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In India’s warm-up game against Australia at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, on Monday, October 17, Shami, who was out of India’s scheme of things in T20Is since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in UAE, was called by captain Rohit Sharma out of nowhere to bowl his first over in the final over of the match when Australia needed 11 runs to win.

The 32-year-old right-arm pacer delivered an outstanding over, picking 3 wickets by giving away just 4 runs to help India win the match by 6 runs.

At the pre-match press conference, India captain Rohit Sharma talked about Shami being picked as Bumrah’s replacement. He elaborated:

“Speaking of Shami, I could say that the guy has so much experience of playing for so many years for India and has played World Cups before as well. We all know the quality he has. When Bumrah got injured, we always wanted to have someone experienced in the line-up and Shami was the right choice for us.

“Looking at what has happened to him in the last 20-25 days, he got Covid back home and had to miss the series that we played leading up to the World Cup. But with the kind of experience he has, we are sure that he’ll not be short of match practice.”

We just wanted to give him a bit of a challenge – Rohit Sharma on giving the final over to Mohammed Shami vs Australia

India captain Rohit Sharma further explained why he decided to give the final over to Mohammed Shami in the warm-up game against Australia in Brisbane. He said:

“And obviously, speaking of the practice game against Australia, that was always the plan. We know he’s very good with the new ball. So, we just wanted to give him a bit of a challenge to come and bowl at the death and see what he can do. And most importantly, his body was something we wanted to look at. He’s just recovered from Covid and we wanted to give him enough time. We wanted him to play him in the next warm-up game for the entire 20 overs but unfortunately, it was washed off.”

The 35-year-old also said that the senior right-arm pacer is well-prepared for the marquee tournament.

“In terms of preparation, he is well-prepared and training with the team for a while now. He came to Brisbane pretty early and had a few sessions with the entire team. He is ready and it’s all about going out and doing what Shami is known for,” Rohit said.

In their tournament opener, India National Cricket Team will take on arch-rivals Pakistan National Cricket Team on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Also Read: IND vs PAK: I’d Be Going With Mohammed Shami, He’s A Big Player – Tom Moody On India’s 3rd Pacer For T20 World Cup 2022