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India suffered heartbreaking defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in their Super 4s matches and now stare at the exit doors. Their future in the tournament depends on other teams’ match results.
There were many reasons behind India losing both the matches and pace bowlers not performing up to their potential is one of them. While India operated with three specialist seamers in the group stage matches, Rohit Sharma went with two specialist pacers and an all-rounder.
This meant that none of them could err in their spell and if anyone did, there was no one to cover for that. And it did happen as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh could not contain runs which led to defeats.
India’s bowlers lacked potency, especially with the new ball as they could not pick a wicket in the first six overs in both matches. Against Sri Lanka, none of the three Indian pacers picked a wicket.
With India badly missing a quality pacer who can take wickets up front, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has pushed Mohammed Shami’s name to do the job for the team. Pathan feels there is no one better than Shami to bowl with the new ball and take wickets.
"The team you chose, you didn't use the sixth bowler, and you didn't get the result you wanted from the other five bowlers. Now there is an opportunity here whether a bowler can come in the World Cup race who can help the Indian team. I feel if you are looking for only the new ball, you will not get a better option than Mohammad Shami,” said Pathan on Star Sports.
"There are a lot of bowlers who have raised their hands, there are options, but they are young and inexperienced. If you see experience and form, Mohammad Shami is furthest ahead,” he added.
Notably, Mohammed Shami had great success with Gujarat Titans while bowling with the new ball. The right-arm quick took most wickets in the powerplay and played a pivotal role in the team’s title win. However, Shami has not been picked in any of the T20Is ever since the 2021 T20 World Cup. Selectors have also suggested that Shami is not in their scheme of things.
