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Siraj or Shami? Sunil Gavaskar delivers no-nonsense verdict on Jasprit Bumrah's T20 World Cup replacement
After Team India thrashed South Africa in the 3rd ODI to seal the series 2-1 on Tuesday, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar was asked to pick Jasprit Bumrah's ideal replacement for the T20 World Cup. Speed merchants Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami have emerged as front-runners to replace Bumrah.
It seems like legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has already made up his mind regarding the potential replacement of injured pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the 2022 edition of the ICC World T20. When the Indian think tank was monitoring the fitness of senior pacer Mohammed Shami, speed merchant Mohammed Siraj was busy making moves in the recently concluded white-ball series between Team India and South Africa.
Siraj was roped in as the like-for-like replacement of injured pacer Bumrah in the South Africa T20Is. Siraj then became the face of the Indian pace attack in the One Day International (ODI) series against the Proteas. On Tuesday, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer played an instrumental role in India's come-from-behind series win over South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
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Pacer Siraj bagged the crucial scalps of South African opener Janneman Malan and premier batter Reeza Hendricks in the low-scoring encounter between the two teams. Siraj strengthened his selection case for the T20 World Cup and the speed merchant also received Gavaskar's approval after the conclusion of the ODI series.
When asked about Bumrah's replacement after India sealed a 2-1 series win over South Africa, batting legend Gavaskar explained why an in-form Siraj deserves to get drafted to the World Cup squad. “I'd go for Siraj because he has been bowling well, Shami has not played for a while. And to hit your steps straight away in a World Cup, yes there are a couple of warm-up matches. As of now, nobody has been selected as the 15th player. I don't know...has he gone with the team to Australia? He hasn't gone. So he has played no cricket. And that's a concern," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
"No doubting his quality. Just the fact that he (Shami) has not played any cricket. It's never easy to comeback after Covid. Your stamina can be a little bit of suspect - I know it's a four over game in T20I cricket. But look at the way Siraj has been bowling. He's bowling brilliantly,” Gavaskar added.
Siraj’s knack for taking wickets at regular intervals during the powerplay also makes him an asset in white-ball cricket. Siraj registered match-winning figures of 3 for 38 in the 2nd ODI against Proteas. After inspiring India to a series-levelling win at Ranchi, the star pacer then picked up two more wickets in the 3rd ODI to take home the Player of the Series award.
