"My choice would be Siraj, Bumrah, Shami and Prasidh Krishna" - Ashish Nehra on India's seam attack for T20 World Cup
Former India bowler Ashish Nehra feels Mohammad Siraj is the only pacer from the current squad who could feature in the T20 World Cup later this year. Nehra thinks despite a new-look pace attack in the ongoing series against the West Indies, most of them won't make the squad for the tournament.
The Men in Blue are currently without Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami in the ongoing series against the Indies. In the first T20I, India fielded a seam attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel. The selection committee will have their eyes on building a well-rounded seam attack, as the World Cup will be played on hard and bouncy surfaces in Australia.
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In this regard, Nehra said on Cricbuzz:
"The World Cup is very far away. If the squad for the World Cup is to be announced tomorrow, there is only one pace bowler from this team who will make it, and that is Siraj. My choice for the World Cup would be Siraj, Bumrah, Shami and Prasidh Krishna. We have seen what he can do, and after these four, comes Deepak Chahar."
Nehra added:
"It's good to see that Rohit Sharma is backing Bhuvneshwar Kumar because he has so much experience. So, can do a change in the playing XI or not, does not matter much."
Bumrah and Shami are certainties for the tournament in Australia. Meanwhile, Siraj is evolving into an all-format bowler, while Krishna is yet to make his debut in T20Is. The latter had a prolific ODI series against West Indies, but was not named in the squad for the T20Is.
"You can try to play either one of Siraj or Avesh Khan for variety" - Parthiv Patel
Mohamed Siraj was part of all three ODIs in Ahmedabad against the West Indies, where he used outswingers and scrambled seam to great effect. Despite making his debut in 2017, the 27-year-old has only played four T20Is to date, though.
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Parthiv Patel feels that with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar being similar bowlers, one of them could be replaced to have more variety in the bowling attack. Patel said:
"I think one or two changes can be made. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar are similar kinds of bowlers. So, you can try to play either one of Siraj or Avesh Khan for variety. So, this can be tried out since we are already exploring the best combination for the World Cup."
Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar both rely on swing with the new ball, and are proficient in the powerplay. Other bowlers could provide pace, with Harshal Patel being the specialist death bowler.