Batting great, Sunil Gavaskar has named the ideal replacement for injured Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian squad for the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup. The pacer was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury and BCCI is yet to name his replacement.
Sunil Gavaskar picks Mohammed Siraj ahead of Mohammad Shami as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah
With Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2022, there are many speculations about who will replace the premier pacer in the Indian squad. Among all the fast bowlers, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj have emerged as two favourites to replace him.
Siraj impressed many with his recent performances in the recent white-ball series against South Africa. He first came into the T20I squad as a replacement for Bumrah and bowled decently in the death. However, his real show came in the ODI series.
Siraj was awarded the Player of the Series in the three-match series for his economical and staggering performance. He took 5 wickets in the series returning with the figures of 3/38 in Ranchi and 2/17 in the series decider in Delhi.
Mohammad Siraj Bowled 11 maiden overs in ODIs in 2022 – Most by any bowler in the world in this format. pic.twitter.com/7GEWyu8IyD
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) October 9, 2022
Advertisement
Giving his verdict on the player to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Indian squad, Sunil Gavaskar backed Siraj. He believes that the fast bowler has been bowling well and has good cricket behind him. Speaking to Star Sports, he said:
“I’d go for Siraj because he has been bowling well; Shami has not played for a while. And to hit your steps straight away in a World Cup, yes, there are a couple of warm-up matches. As of now, nobody has been selected as the 15th player. I don’t know…has he gone with the team to Australia? He hasn’t gone. So he has played no cricket. And that’s a concern.”
Sunil Gavaskar explains why he preferred Mohammed Siraj over Mohammad Shami as a replacement player for Jasprit Bumrah
On the other hand, Mohammad Shami was named in the standby list of the tournament. He was set to return to action during the T20I series against Australia but covid-19 ruled him out of the series followed by the South Africa series. He then recently passed the fitness test and it remains to be seen what’s in the store for him.
Mohammad Shami set to be announced as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the T20 World Cup. Deepak Chahar ruled out due to injury, Shardul Thakur goes in the reserves. (Reported by Sports Tak).
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 12, 2022
Advertisement
Gavaskar explained that it won’t be easy for Shami to make a comeback as he has recently recovered from covid. He said:
“No doubting his quality. Just the fact that he (Shami) has not played any cricket. It’s never easy to come back after Covid. Your stamina can be a little bit of suspect – I know it’s a four-over game in T20I cricket. But look at the way Siraj has been bowling. He’s bowling brilliantly,”
India will begin their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23.
