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India pacer Mohammed Shami battled through Covid and fitness issues to come back into the team for the World Cup. It just took six balls to prove why he was an unavoidable name in the squad. Indian pacer ripped the Aussie batters as India won the first warm-up game by six runs.
What a brilliant final over by Mohammad Shami
: 2, 2, W, W, W, W.4️⃣ wickets in the last 4️⃣ balls
🤯🤯🤯India have defeated Australia by 6 runs.#INDvsAUS #T20WorldCup2022 #T20WorldCup #ViratKohli #mohammadshami pic.twitter.com/bLBu6xbo7s
— JK Media (@jkmediasocial) October 17, 2022
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Initially, the Men In Blue did not pick the 32-year-old in the original squad for the big event. The senior pacer was added to the reserve player’s list. However, Deepak Chahar’s injury and Bumrah’s non-participation have led to his return to the India team.
Thank you everyone for your love and support. The hard work is paying off. Just feels great to be back on the field, playing for #TeamIndia. Onwards and upwards.#mdshami11 pic.twitter.com/xmLNOKDSZ7
— Mohammad Shami (@MdShami11) October 17, 2022
The star player is a mainstay in the longer format of the game. However, Shami’s participation in white ball cricket suffered a setback in recent years, as he suffered many injuries. The Bengal pacer missed many matches, while India tried out many new pacers. This led to a long gap from cricket for the seasoned campaigner.
Shami hits the jackpot in the warm-up match
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India skipper Rohit Sharma handed the last over to Shami against Australia. The experienced champ had just made a return after an interval. However, he bowled yorkers at will as Aussie batters had no clue about his death bowling. Virat Kohli’s one-handed catch to dismiss Pat Cummins also helped the Indian pacer.
It required a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication to be back but the journey to Australia has been thoroughly rewarding. No better feeling than to be back with #TeamIndia and my boys. Looking forward to the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/K539OYAHzn
— Mohammad Shami (@MdShami11) October 17, 2022
The last four balls of that over have produced wickets as Shami finished with an outstanding 3-4 in the sole over he bowled in the match. It brushed aside questions of who is India’s third seamer after Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh for the Pakistan match. T20 specialist Harshal Patel bowled the 19th over efficiently. So, India may likely have to choose between Bhuvi and out-of-form Patel to decide on the third seamer.
Can Shami fill Bumrah’s void for India?
Jasprit Bumrah debuted for India in the bilateral series against Australia in 2016. Indian pace superstar has been a mainstay for his accuracy and wicket-taking capacity. Shami too has got a similar arc in him, to snatch wickets and trouble the batters with sheer pace.
Mohammad Shami is ready for T20 World Cup 2022 fire Again 🔥🔥#T20WC2022 #JaspritBumrah #MohammedShami #BCCI#Shami #Yorker pic.twitter.com/14dF9ueaZ0
— ★🇮🇳ᴘʀɪʏᴀɴꜱʜᴜ★ (@priyanshu34b) October 14, 2022
A replacement is no answer to the quality an individual could bring to a team. However, India would hope Shami takes up the role delivered by Bumrah in shorter formats. It is to grab wickets, bowl at the death, and contain the batters. The Bengal pacer has made a bright beginning. Can he continue to shine? Time will tell.
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