IPL 2022: When You Have Somebody Like Mohammed Shami, You Cannot Ask For More - Ashish Nehra

Gujarat Titans (GT) head coach Ashish Nehra showered praise on the fast bowler, Mohammed Shami, stating that he is on par with Jasprit Bumrah and is an asset to the team.

Ahead of the IPL 2022 season, Shami will be playing for one of the two new franchises, the Titans, and will be hoping to establish his credentials in the white-ball format where he has gone out of favour with the selectors.

“We have a combination of everything and that is very important. Somebody like Shami… people have gone for 10 crore, 12 crore, 14 crore… but here is Shami. I have always believed in him.”

“People might be saying ‘Oh, white-ball format, not much impressive numbers’. Numbers in T20 formats are, as it is very close. In the end, how you use a player. Here you are talking about a guy who has really bowled well,” Nehra said on ‘Backstage with Boria’.

“I keep him absolutely on par with Jasprit Bumrah” – Ashish Nehra

Nehra believes that Shami is a brilliant wicket-taker and although his economy is on the higher side, his effectiveness can be compared to the likes of Bumrah, who is India’s best all-format bowler.

“When it comes to Shami, I keep him absolutely on par with Jasprit Bumrah. Even when you see white-ball cricket, be it in T20 or ODIs, maybe Bumrah’s economy rate is 7.5 and Shami can be 8.2, 8.5, but look at his strike rate. He is a wicket-taker. When you have somebody like Shami and his experience, you cannot ask for anything better,” Nehra further added.

It is also believed that Shami’s performance in the IPL 2022 season will determine whether he makes it to the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

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