'Shami should definitely be in the team for the T20 World Cup' - Madan Lal

Mohammed Shami (PC: Twitter)

As the Indian team battles the UAE heat in the Asia Cup 2022, Hong Kong will be served as the side's next challenge after their five-wicket win against Pakistan.

However, before the Pakistan clash, injury to their ace T20 bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, remained a primary worry. But with the other bowlers pulling up their socks in the campaign-opener, Pakistan were restricted to just 147 runs in 20 overs.

While the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arsheep Singh are almost confirmed for the World Cup spots, Avesh Khan's future is hanging in the balance. Although he was booked in as a replacement of Bumrah in the ongoing tournament, a question mark on his place has been lingering off late.

A section of fans and cricket pundits want Mohammed Shami's return to the Indian T20 set-up. The legendary India pacer Madan Lal has also joined the bandwagon as he called for Shami's inclusion in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

'He’s our best bowler after Bumrah'

Lal reckoned that Shami is the No. 1 bowler for India in the shortest format after Bumrah and if the selectors do not pick for the nearing ICC event, it will be a blunder.

"Shami should definitely be in the team for the T20 World Cup. He’s our best bowler after Bumrah. I would look for a bowler who could get me wickets. I don’t want bowlers who would only look to contain runs. Batters will keep scoring runs in this format. The only way to stem the flow of runs is to take wickets," Lal said as quoted to Sportskeeda.

"The Indian selectors will make a big mistake if they don’t pick Shami. He’s a great bowler and has done well in Australia in the past. I don’t understand why they are not picking him for T20s. You think he’s not a better bowler than those who are playing now? He’s one of the best bowlers in world cricket," the World Cup winner added.

Shami's future?

According to reports, the Indian selectors and team management have conveyed to the 31-year-old to focus on ODI and Test cricket. 

While he fared decently for Gujarat Titans in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League, he has not been considered for selection in the T20I format for India since the last World Cup.

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