Mohammed Shami or Jasprit Bumrah - who will finish with more wickets at the end of the 2023 World Cup?
Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are in prime form for Team India at the moment in the 2023 ODI World Cup, with the duo having played a vital hand in the team being the first to officially qualify for the semi-finals. The pace bowling pair have been brilliant across all three phases of the innings, and are right up the list of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament.
Bumrah's timely return from a lengthy injury layoff has been a huge boost for Team India. The pacer has looked in rhythm from the word go, right from the T20I series against Ireland to the Asia Cup and eventually the World Cup. He is currently the fifth leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 15 scalps at an economy rate of just 3.72.
His bowling partner, on the other hand, was begrudgingly benched by the management for the sake of batting depth. However, Hardik Pandya's injury in the fixture against Bangladesh has proven to be an eye-opener of sorts. The all-rounder is yet to recover from his ankle injury, leading to Shami getting a string of games.
The pacer began with a five-wicket haul against New Zealand and consistently claimed wickets in India's wins over England and Sri Lanka as well. He has posed a serious question to the management after picking up 14 wickets in just three matches.
With only a sole wicket differentiating the pace bowling pair, and the Men in Blue playing at least three more matches in the campaign, it is bound to be a tight finish as to who will be the leading wicket-taker for India.
On that note, let us take a look at some factors that will determine who will finish with more wickets at the end of the 2023 World Cup between Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
#1 Form
Their sheer audacious numbers prove that they are in exceptional form and even if numbers are taken away from the table, the manner with which they are bowling has been a treat to watch. The duo have been brilliant with the new ball, especially in the recent matches where they have had to bowl under the lights.
Bumrah and Shami have got the new ball to move around both ways as well as extract movement off the surface. They have been able to maximize the conditions, which are not that well-suited to the pacers in the first place.
The pair embody control, but it is Shami who has arguably been more potent in terms of an attacking sense. Probing with consistent areas, the pacer has been able to trouble the batter, which has in turn rewarded him with wickets.
However, it remains to be seen how Team India will proceed when Hardik Pandya makes his inevitable return from injury. The ace all-rounder is expected to return by either the final league stage game against the Netherlands or the semi-final fixture.
The team management can either continue fielding the prolific seam trio, leaving Hardik as the sixth option, or revert back to the original playing XI which included Shardul Thakur at No. 8 as a cushion in terms of batting.
Another left-field option will be to bench Mohammed Siraj, leaving Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to keep hunting in pairs.
#2 Innate wicket-taking ability
Team India have been aggressive on the field, searching for early wickets and that approach augurs well for Bumrah and Shami.
The duo complement each other quite well and the formula that has been on display is Bumrah building pressure by targetting the stumps and moving the ball around, and Shami capitalizes on it by traditional line and length bowling with his raw pace.
Bumrah has also chipped away with several wickets in a bid to put pressure, and when it comes to death overs, he holds the aces over Shami.
Both bowlers have a penchant for claiming wickets across all stages of the innings, but with Shami picking 14 wickets in three matches, he definitely has a knack for picking up wickets that is arguably second to none.
#3 Conditions
Team India's remaining two league stage matches are scheduled to take place at Bangalore and Kolkata - two venues that are contrasting to one other in terms of conditions.
The duo are bound to have a solid time at the Eden Gardens, but they will be faced with their biggest test of the tournament, as they face the rampant Proteas.
On the other hand, while the small boundaries at the Chinnaswamy Stadium might deter the majority of the bowlers, the pair are favorites to come out on top at the venue against the Netherlands batters.
Furthermore, when it comes to the knockout stages, it will be played across Mumbai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad - the three venues where Shami might bowl his best across the country.
As a result, Shami has form, innate wicket-taking ability, and conditions on his side, which makes him the candidate to end up with the most wickets for India at the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Who do you think will end up with more wickets in the 2023 World Cup - Bumrah or Shami? Let us know what you think.