IPL 2022: 'I keep him absolutely on par with Jasprit Bumrah' – Nehra lavishes massive praise on Gujarat Titans pacer

Ashish Nehra, the former India quick, who is coaching the Titans this season, seemed content with the stocks at his disposal but reserved special praise for one of his pacers.

One of the two newbies this season, Gujarat Titans will have a point to prove as they make their debut in the IPL 2022. The Titans, under captain Hardik Pandya will have a point to prove in their maiden season of the most famous T20 league in the world when they open their campaign against fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants on Monday. Having retained Pandya, Shubman Gill and Rashid Khan, the Titans assembled a formidable squad during the two days of IPL auction in February.

The Gujarat Titans squad during their first training session.  (Gujarat Titans/Twitter)

One of the strongest departments for Titans is shaping out to be their fast-bowling unit. With the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami and Varun Aaron, Titans have plenty of options to pick from the pace unit. Ashish Nehra, the former India quick, who is coaching the Titans this season, seemed content with the stocks at his disposal but reserved special praise for one of his pacers.

"We have a combination of everything and that is very important. Somebody like Shami… people have gone for 10 crore, 12 crore, 14 crore… but here is Shami. I have always believed in him. People might be saying 'Oh, white-ball format, not much impressive numbers'. Numbers in T20 formats are as it is very close. In the end, how you use a player. Here you are talking about a guy who has really bowled well," Nehra told Boria Majumdar on his show 'Backstage with Boria'

So impressed with Shami is Nehra that the former left-arm quick has no apprehensions in placing him on the same level as his fellow India pacer Jasprit Bumrah. While Shami has been brilliant for India in Tests, his limited-overs form, contrary to the general notion, has been nothing short of sensational.

"When it comes to Shami, I keep him absolutely on par with Jasprit Bumrah. Even when you see white-ball cricket, be in T20 or ODIs, maybe Bumrah’s economy rate is 7.5 and Shami can be 8.2, 8.5, but look at his strike-rate. He is a wicket-taker. When you have somebody like Shami and his experience, you cannot ask for anything better," added Nehra.