T20 World Cup 2022: "You need bowlers who hit the deck hard"- Danish Kaneria lauds India for strengthening bowling
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria believes Team India made the right decision by asking the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur to travel to Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup.
The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel have struggled for consistency, especially at the death. Although Kaneria is not quite sure about Shami because of the latter's lack of game time, he feels Siraj and Thakur can definitely be more than a handful Down Under.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Danish Kaneria had to say about India's fast bowling resources:
"Harshal Patel has been leaking runs and hasn't been able to find his rhythm since his comeback from injury. Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn't as effective as when there are seaming conditions. In Australia, you won't get such conditions mostly and that's why you need bowlers who hit the deck hard like Siraj or Shardul."
India won only two ODI series vs SA since 2011 and the winners of MOS awards:
•Virat Kohli in 2018.
•Mohammad Siraj in 2022. https://t.co/KaZe4BQrO6
The former cricketer also claimed that the performances of the available bowlers may not have instilled a lot of confidence in captain Rohit Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid. He added:
"Captain Rohit and coach Dravid may not have enough confidence in the likes of Bhuvi and Harshal and perhaps that's why they might have called up Shami, Siraj and Shardul to Australia. If one or even two of them get into the main squad and one stays in the reserves, it will make a huge difference to their bowling attack."
Correct decision for Mohammed Siraj to join Team India in Australia: Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria has been highly impressed with the way Mohammed Siraj has performed for India of late. The fast bowler was named the Player of the Series in the ODIs against South Africa, picking up five wickets in three games.
On this, Kaneria stated:
"Mohammed Siraj has simply been brilliant in whatever opportunities he has got and also has the experience of bowling in Australia. So it's the correct decision for him to travel to Australia and be with the team."
The Men in Blue will play a couple of warm-up games before kicking off their campaign against Pakistan on October 23.
Is Siraj a better option than Shami to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian squad? Let us know in the comments.