Former head coach of the Indian cricket team Ravi Shastri was baffled by India’s selection after back-to-back defeats to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2022 super-4 round. The Rohit Sharma-led side needs a number of factors to go their way in order to qualify for the Asia Cup final, which currently looks next to impossible.
After the defeat against Pakistan in the Super-4 clash, the Indian side made a few changes and brought Ravi Ashwin in place of Ravi Bishnoi and continued to bench Dinesh Karthik. Now with Avesh Khan going through some health issues, India had only two specialist fast bowlers in Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to choose from.
While Ashwin and Chahal bowled well as they picked up four wickets among them and brought India back into the contest after a powerful start by Sri Lanka. However, the pacers were disappointed yet again. Bhuvneshwar once again leaked crucial runs in the 19th over as Sri Lanka chased down the 174-run target with one ball to spare to confirm their place in the final.
Meanwhile, discussing the lack of options for fast bowlers in the Indian squad, Ravi Shastri said that he was baffled not to see Mohammed Shami in the Indian squad. He said that Shami could have provided that extra fast bowling option that Team India missed after Avesh Khan suffered health issues. Speaking on the post-match show, Shastri said:
“When you need to win, you got to prepare better” Shastri told Star Sports. “I think the selection could have been better, especially for the fast bowlers. You know the conditions here. There’s not much in it for the spinners. I was quite surprised that you came here with just four fast bowlers [including Hardik].
He added: “You needed that extra one… Someone like Mohammed Shami sitting at home and cooling his heels baffles me. After the IPL he had, for him not to be able to make the cut is… Obviously, I’m seeing something different.”
Talking about Mohammed Shami, he had a terrific IPL with the eventual champions Gujarat Titans picking up crucial wickets with the new ball at will. Despite his brilliant performances, he wasn’t included in India’s Asia Cup squad even after the injuries of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel.
