The express pace of Umran Malik and the batting form of Shubman Gill has impressed Dilip Vengsarkar, and the former captain and chief selector believes the duo should have been part of India’s T20 World Cup squad.
He is also surprised that the selection committee couldn’t find a spot for veteran seamer Mohammed Shami for the ICC event in Australia.
“I would have picked Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill for the T20 World Cup. Would have given them a long run in T20Is because they all had a brilliant IPL season,” Vengsarkar told The Indian Express.
Shami, Malik and Gill had an excellent IPL season. Shami and Gill played a key role in Gujarat Titans winning the IPL trophy in their inaugural season, while Malik made the 150 kph-plus deliveries a new norm.
However, Shami hasn’t been picked in the shortest format since the T20 World Cup last year, although he will feature in the home T20I series against Australia and South Africa. In IPL 2022, he was used by his skipper Hardik Pandya as a wicket-taking option in the Powerplay. Shami was the pick of the bowlers for the Titans and bagged 20 wickets in 16 games, including 11 at an economy rate of 6.62 in the Powerplay.
Vengsarkar’s preference for Shami was also seconded by another former chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad, who believed his extra speed would have come handy Down Under.
“I think the express pace of Shami is missing. If you see Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they are not express. The only bowler who has got that extra pace is Jasprit Bumrah,” the former India wicketkeeper added.
