Asia Cup 2022: "India dearly missed the services of Bumrah and Shami" - Rajkumar Sharma
Former Delhi cricketer and Virat Kohli's childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, believes India's inexperience in the pace department was exposed during their disappointing Asia Cup 2022 campaign.
The Men in Blue pinned their hopes on youngsters like Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan alongside the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, amid the injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, the decision to overlook Mohammed Shami seems to have badly backfired.
Speaking to India News Sports, Sharma explained the importance of the Men in Blue having experience in their bowling ranks ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup next month. He said:
"We banked on youngsters to do the job for us in the Asia Cup and Arshdeep Singh was impressive. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was inconsistent and needs to have a look at his death bowling again.
"In a tournament like the T20 World Cup you definitely need experienced and wicket-taking bowlers and India dearly missed the services of Bumrah and Shami."
Watch Sharma speak to the news outlet below:
Rajkumar Sharma tips Mohammed Shami to be in India's T20 World Cup squad
Rajkumar Sharma further elaborated on how baffled he was when the selectors overlooked Shami, especially when they didn't have Bumrah's experience available for the Asia Cup. He believes Shami should definitely be looked at for the T20 World Cup.
"Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah most underrated cricketers of the current generation." - Mohammad Kaif (To Sportskeeda)
On this, he stated:
"Shami should have definitely been picked by Team India for the Asia Cup, especially when they didn't have Jasprit Bumrah. He is experienced as well as has shown in the IPL that he has the genuine wicket-taking ability.
"I hope he gets a chance in the upcoming couple of series and if he does well, he can become a contender for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad."
India News also reported that Bumrah and Harshal have both passed their fitness tests and are set to get picked for the T20 World Cup. With two series of three T20Is each against Australia and South Africa coming up, Sharma feels the duo need to play every game to ensure they are in the right rhythm.
He added:
"They (Bumrah and Harshal) will definitely need to play the Australia and South Africa series because there is a protocol that you need to prove that you're match-fit. It will also be interesting to see how they shape up because you are always cautious on your comeback that the injury shouldn't recur. But there is no doubt on their selection if they're fully fit."
Should Shami be picked in the squad for the T20 World Cup? Let us know in the comments.