On Saturday, the management of the Indian cricket team surprised everyone by deciding to start Shardul Thakur instead of Mohammed Shami in the match against India’s fiercest opponent, Pakistan. The move was made with the intention of playing an additional all-rounder who could help with the bat if it became necessary. However, this choice did not sit well with former India international Sanjay Manjrekar, who criticised the think tank and indicated that they were insecure about their batting and, as a result, did not give much attention to bowling in the end. This decision did not go down well with Sanjay Manjrekar.
In the end, Shardul Thakur was not able to demonstrate much with the bat because he was only able to score three runs. In the meantime, Manjrekar stated that Shami is considerably superior to the Palghar-born cricketer in terms of posing a threat to the batters of the other team and that, as a result, he ought to have been selected for the playing XI.
“I disagree with you on this idea. People often discuss the batting depth of a team, but what about the bowling depth? Manjrekar declared that he was having a conversation with Star Sports.
Isn’t Mohammed Shami more of a danger to the batters for Pakistan than Shardul Thakur is? I wouldn’t be too concerned about their batting depth, but they should have gone with three quality seamers instead of leaving someone out like Shami, especially on a surface where you can see the seams on the ball moving around. It merely demonstrates signals of uncertainty and a lack of belief in your hitters in Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7, he stated.
On the other side, Ravi Shastri, a former head coach for India, has also voiced his surprise that Shami was not selected for the playing eleven.
In the meantime, it is not obvious whether this is a short-term or long-term plan. Shami has been outstanding for the national team in both one-day internationals and test matches; hence, it is anticipated that he will play a significant part in the one-day international world cup that will take place soon. However, Shardul is now playing ahead of him in Pakistan’s opening match of the Asia Cup 2023, so things are not clear at the moment. Both Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah will continue to be India’s first-choice pace bowlers, but the think tank may make a decision on a third speed bowler based on the opponent and the pitch.
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