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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. There were not too many surprises as the regulars in the team were picked for the biggest due assignment. While Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav have been picked as specialist batters, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel have been picked as main bowling options.
Mohammed Shami will also be travelling to Australia but not as the main squad player but as a standby. The veteran pacer who is probably one of the best handlers of the new ball would have proved handy on Australian pitches where seam and bounce is always on the offer has he been included in the main squad. But as he is a standby player, Shami is unlikely to get a game unless there is an injury.
This decision of selectors picking Harshal Patel and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ahead of Shami attracted a lot of flak from many cricket experts. Kris Srikanth, former Indian skipper and ex-chairman of the selection committee, also looked unhappy with the decision as he gave his verdict. Srikanth said that he would have picked Shami instead of Harshal Patel had he been the selector.
"If I was the chairman of the selection committee, Shami is definitely in the team. We are playing in Australia, the guy's got the real action, the guy's got bounce, he can bare the moment and he can get on early wickets, so I would have probably got Shami instead of Harshal Patel," said Srikkanth on Star Sports programme 'Follow the Blues'.
"Yes, Harshal Patel is a good bowler, no doubt about it, but Mohammad Shami is the right guy, I mean they can say not the scheme of things, he's only for test cricket or one day cricket but we are playing in Australia. That guy has done well last IPL, so Shami is the must in my team," he added.
India squad for ICC T20 World Cup: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
