Mohammed Shami would be an asset to have for any team in the upcoming ODI World Cup, as his five-for against Australia in Mohali proves. But India might still start without him, and it would be the right call, writes Naman Agarwal.
Mohammed Shami sits tenth in the list of Indian ODI wicket-takers, completing his second five-for in the format in Mohali against Australia. Among the 15 with 150 or more wickets, Shami has the best bowling average (25.42) and the best bowling strike rate (27.3). In fact, none of the other 14 have a strike rate of less than 30.
It is no exaggeration to say that Shami is one of the best Indian players of all time in this format. In fact, he is not far from being one of the best players in world cricket. Among fast bowlers with over 150 wickets, only Mitchell Starc has taken wickets faster than Shami in ODIs.
With a record like this, especially in India, a country not historically known for world-class fast bowlers, it would be great to see him included in the World Cup ODI XI based on performances like this one. It is expected that He lost in Mohali, registering his best record in this format (5 wins, 51 losses).
However, India’s fast bowling prowess has grown so much in recent years that India could start the World Cup without him, and if that happens, it wouldn’t be a wrong decision. Dew.
Jasprit Bumrah is finally a perfect fit. When fit and available, he plays for every team and in every format of world cricket. Another fast bowler that India has in their World Cup squad is coincidentally he is No. 1 in the ICC ODI bowling rankings, Mohammed Siraj.
Shiraj has been the best in ODIs for the last two years. He took 53 wickets and 17.7 runs in 27 innings. Out of his 27 innings, he was without a wicket only four times.
Indian cricket has always valued seniority and experience. Although the freshmen performed well, unseating the established upperclassmen from their place in the eleven was far from easy. Even more so if the fourth grader’s own grades are not too bad.
But Siraj’s ODI career has been purple all the way, not just hitting the purple section. It would be a grave mistake not to take advantage of this at the World Cup, even if it means leaving Shami out of the starting XI. The Indian management seemed to be aware of this, as was evident from their selection in the Asia Cup, where Siraj played ahead of Shami.
In an ideal world, India would have all three players – Shami, Bumrah and Siraj – playing in the eleven. However, in recent years, while their fast bowling prowess has improved, the batting skills of bowlers and the bowling skills of batters have declined.
None of Shami, Bumrah and Siraj are good enough to be number 8 in ODIs. So is Kuldeep his Yadav who is the only frontline spinner in the team and a regular in the eleven. This is where Shardul Thakur and his Axar Patel come into play.
Thakur’s bowling alone is good enough with the ball to earn him a place in the team but what makes him impossible to ignore is his batting pedigree as a number eight. is. His batting performance in ODIs is not exceptional, with an average of 17.3 and a strike rate of 105.11, with him scoring only one score above 50. However, in Tests, the bat’s performance improved and he averaged 20.3 and scored four fifties.
However, the psychological buffer of knowing that he will not end his at-bat with No. 7 remaining in the order is immeasurable, making his batting order approach less conservative.
On surfaces prone to spin, Axar can replace Thakur and effectively maintain team balance. Hardik Pandya’s strong bowling skills mean that India would be happy to use him as a third player on such occasions.
In the last ODI World Cup, Shami did not start for India, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar did. Shami only found his way back when he got injured midway through the tournament. He played four matches and took 14 wickets at an average of 13.8, including a hat-trick, but was dropped again when Bhuvneshwar returned.
At this stage, it would not be surprising if Bumrah or Siraj have a similar season at the 2023 World Cup, playing only if Bumrah or Siraj are injured or rested towards the end of the tournament. .
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