Irfan Pathan highlights two glaring errors of Rohit Sharma regarding Deepak Hooda and Arshdeep Singh
The absence of the senior player in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup has baffled many commentators.
Questions have been raised on how India have used their bowling and batting resources in the ongoing 2022 Asia Cup. Pakistan's thrilling one wicket win over Afghanistan on Wednesday confirmed the fact that India won't be playing in the final to defend their title, having lost to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4 previously. Among India's problems in the two matches were the number of runs they conceded in the death overs, with veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar and youngster Arshdeep Singh both proving expensive.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan highlighted two errors of Rohit Sharma that may have cost India the game against Sri Lanka. Pathan said the Indian captain should've thrown the ball to Deepak Hooda as the pitch had something in it for the spinners and Arshdeep Singh should've bowled the 19th over instead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
“Anything close to 180 was a very very good score. If you look at the ground, there was no dew. There was a little something for the spinners as well. Four wickets that fell, belonged to the spinners. That means, the ball was gripping a bit. That is where Rohit Sharma missed a trick a couple of times. No.1 Deepak Hooda didn't bowl. Second, Arshdeep should've bowled the 19th over because the longer side of the boundary would have helped the left-armer. I said it during commentary as well. This is not an afterthought in my mind at least but these two sides... Rohit Sharma could have done better,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
Rohit later clarified that the Sri Lankan right-handers batted a bit longer than expected preventing him from bringing off-spinner Hooda into the attack.
Pathan also said that India should now consider bringing Mohammed Shami back into the scheme of things as a T20 bowler so that they take more wickets in the powerplay.
"The team you chose, you didn't use the sixth bowler, and you didn't get the result you wanted from the other five bowlers. Now there is an opportunity here whether a bowler can come in the World Cup race who can help the Indian team. I feel if you are looking for only the new ball, you will not get a better option than Mohammad Shami," said Pathan on Star Sports.
The absence of Shami from India's probables despite the pacer's performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been questioned by a number of commentators and former players from time to time. With 20 wickets at an average of 24.40, Shami was the highest wicket-taker for Gujarat Titans, who won the title itself in their debut season.
And yet, the 32-year-old has not played a T20I match for India since the 2021 T20 World Cup in November last year. While he remains a regular in the Indian Test squad, Shami has been used only sporadically by the team in limited overs cricket. "There are a lot of bowlers who have raised their hands, there are options, but they are young and inexperienced. If you see experience and form, Mohammad Shami is furthest ahead," said Pathan.
India next face Afghanistan in their final match of the Super 4 and the Asia Cup on Thursday. With Sri Lanka and Pakistan set to play the final, this game is effectively a dead rubber.
