On Friday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the replacement for injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Mohammed Shami will be filling the vacant spot and that will help the Indian side to continue having four pacers in the 15-member squad. Veteran India National Cricket Team batter Robin Uthappa, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, feels that the senior pacer Mohammed Shami and young pacer Arshdeep Singh will be sure-shot starters in the India National Cricket Team for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 finally kickstarted today October 16 with the group stage matches. The Super 12 round will commence on October 22 and the final game will take place on November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team will be locking horns with Babar Azam-led Pakistan National Cricket Team on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Indian side will be without the services of sensational bowler Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel are the 4 pacers in India’s squad going into the marquee event.
Meanwhile, in a conversation with ESPNcricinfo, Robin feels that Shami and Arshdeep are the sure-shot starters while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel will be vying for the third pacer’s slot. He said:
“It will depend on how many fast bowlers they are going to go with because you also have Hardik Pandya there… I would go with Arshdeep Singh, Shami… I think it will be between Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) and Harshal Patel as to what you want to do,”
Uthappa feels that the performance of India’s fast bowlers in the two practice matches will have a lot of say in their selection in the playing XI during T20 World Cup main event. He said:
“I think it’s the current form that is going to play a role in who is going to eventually fit into that fast bowling line-up. How these fast bowlers do in those next two practice games is going to be very crucial to who is going to end up playing in the XI,”
