Former India coach Ravi Shastri questioned the Indian team management’s decision to select only four pacers for the Asia Cup T20 tournament, saying that he was baffled to see an experienced Mohammed Shami sitting at home despite having a strong IPL season.
Shastri’s comments came after India went perilously close to elimination after a six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in their super four-stage match of the Asia Cup on Tuesday. The result left the Men in Blue at the mercy of the other teams to have a chance of making it to the final. It also meant that India skipper Rohit Sharma’s scintillating 41-ball 72 went in vain, as the islanders completed a chase of 174 with a ball to spare.
Shami last played the shortest format of the game in the 2021 T20 World Cup and hasn’t been called up to the squad since then despite having a memorable campaign with the Gujarat Titans in their maiden campaign. He finished the edition with 20 wickets in 16 games at 24.40 as the Titans lifted the trophy in their first season.
However, the veteran pacer was not picked in India’s Asia Cup squad as Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were selected by the team management for the T20 tournament.
“I was quite surprised that you came here with just 4 fast bowlers. You needed that extra one. Someone like Mohammed Shami sitting at home baffles me. After the IPL for him not making the cut,” Shastri told the broadcasters.
Wasim Akram then asked Shastri: Does the coach have input in selecting the team? “He does. He is not part of the selection. He can contribute,” Shastri added.
Notably, Shami did not feature in the home series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and South Africa. He was also not picked for the away series against Ireland, England, and West Indies. Shami has 18 scalps in 17 T20Is at 31.55, having made his first appearance against Pakistan in Mirpur in 2014.
