"It will be the same bowling attack as the last T20 World Cup, but these guys have gotten better" - Parthiv Patel vouches for the inclusion of Mohammad Shami
Former wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has backed India to go with the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the 2022 T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue have so far experimented with the likes of Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, and Arshdeep Singh for the role of the third seamer in the build-up to the tournament.
While Shami had a fruitful campaign with the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), he is still not in the scheme of things when it comes to T20Is. The right-arm pacer last played a T20I in national colors at the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he claimed six wickets at an economy of 9.57.
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Citing Dinesh Karthik as an example, Patel explained why Shami's comeback into India's T20 setup couldn't be ruled out. In an interaction with Cricbuzz, he said:
"If you look at Dinesh Karthik, his IPL performances help him get selected for India. Mohammad Shami's performance in the IPL has been really great as well, he's won Gujarat Titans (GT) the trophy, and he was instrumental in getting those early wickets.
"So, he may not be a bad choice. It will be the same bowling attack as the last World Cup, but these guys have gotten better."
The Rohit Sharma-led side are likely to go with three frontline seamers for the T20 World Cup, considering the conditions in Australia. The hunt for the third seamer is down to the wire with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah arguably cementing their place with their skill and experience.
"I am still surprised why India is not considering Mohammad Shami as a new ball bowler" - Parthiv Patel
The Indian team management has limited the Bengal pacer's services down to just Tests and ODIs in recent times. Shami has not been selected for any T20I bilateral series post the 2021 T20 World Cup. Even a strong IPL campaign laden with 20 wickets has not changed the selectors' vision and plans for the T20 World Cup.
th ODI wicket 
Picking his 1⃣5⃣0⃣th ODI wicket 👏
Bowling in tandem with @Jaspritbumrah93 🤝
@MdShami11 discusses it all with Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey after #TeamIndia's comprehensive win in the first #ENGvIND ODI. 👍 👍 - By @RajalArora
Full interview 🎥 🔽
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Speaking about the Indian pace bowling unit for the tournament, Patel said:
"Powerplay is where Bhuvi bowls the best, if it is swinging, I don't think there is a better bowler than him. Even if it does not swing in Australia, he will bowl two overs upfront without a doubt, then there is Bumrah and Arshdeep, I am still surprised why India is not considering Mohammad Shami as a new ball bowler, especially in those conditions."
With only a handful of T20Is left until the long-awaited World Cup, it is unlikely that the right-arm quick will make a comeback to the shortest format of the game.
Do you think Mohammad Shami should be considered for the 2022 T20 World Cup? Let us know what you think.