The Indian cricket team has already left for Australia early on Thursday to take part in the 2022 edition of the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup 2022. The 14-member squad, along with the support staff, boarded the flight to Perth, where they will be sweating it out in the training camp for a week before they leave for Brisbane to take part in the two warm-up games, which are scheduled against Australia and New Zealand on October 17 and 19, respectively.
Initially, the Indian side had named a 15-man squad for the marquee event, but since Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2022, only 14 players boarded the plane. The BCCI is yet to name Bumrah’s replacement and they have time until October 15 to do so. Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Deepak Chahar are the three contenders for the spot, however, nothing is confirmed yet.
On Tuesday, after the end of the third T20I against South Africa, the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that team India will take a decision on Bumrah’s replacement after reaching Australia.
Meanwhile, a full-fledged debate has been going on whether who should replace Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami is reported to be leading the race but according to former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer, Chennai Super Kings pacer Deepak Chahar should be named as the replacement of Bumrah.
Deepak Chahar played for the Indian side in the recently-concluded 3-match T20I series against South Africa and impressed one and all with his all-around show with both bat and the ball. Chahar picked up 2 wickets for 24 runs in the series opener and then, in the final showdown in Indore, he scored 31 runs from just 17 balls as a number 9 batter. Praising his recent exploits, Jaffer feels Chahar should be given a nod ahead of Mohammed Shami. Speaking on the ESPNCricinfo show, Jaffer said:
“I think I probably see Deepak Chahar being the replacement because he is getting to play and he is going to play again in the ODIs and it makes sense. He is somebody who is bowling well and he is someone who can contribute with the bat as well. He is a quality new-ball bowler, and I do not think he lacks variation. If you give him the odd over at the death, he can do something about it,”
Jaffer also cited that Shami hasn’t played any competitive cricket for a long time now and it would be unfair if the BCCI ropes him. He said:
“Shami has not played any cricket, so it will be unfair to put him straight into the T20 World Cup squad without any game time. If he is selected, he would get a couple of practice games, but to put him straight into the T20 World Cup without any match practice will be unfair. So, I think it looks like Deepak Chahar might be that replacement,”
