Skipper Virat Kohli stated that just one spot remains to be filled in Team India’s pace attack for the T20 World Cup that will be held in Australia in 2020. He, thus, almost confirmed that Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are all set to seal their spots in the side.
“The fight obviously is for one spot and I think more or less three guys have made a place for themselves. It’s going to be a healthy competition and it will be interesting to see how it pans out,” Kohli said.
He further said that the talent and the skills on offer by the Indian fast bowlers make him a happy captain. On being asked about the selection headache in the side, Kohli added, “It’s not that big an issue for us. I think Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar) and (Jasprit) Bumrah are experienced bowlers. They have been very consistent in T20 cricket. Deepak (Chahar) has come in and has bowled really well.
“(Mohammed) Shami is coming back and he is bowling really well. If he gets into a rhythm and specifically works on what’s required in T20 cricket then he will be very, very useful in places like Australia, especially with his ability to pick wickets with the new ball. He has enough pace to execute yorkers,”
Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have returned to the Indian team for the series against West Indies that begins from today in Hyderabad, while Bumrah is yet to fully recover from an injury. Shami last played a T20I game for Team India back in 2017, while Bhuvi played against Windies earlier this year, but has missed the home series’ against South Africa and Bangladesh due to an injury. Bumrah is recovering from a stress fracture in his lower back.
In the absence of the trio, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed were the new ball bowlers for the Men in Blue. However, Saini seems to have fizzled away after a sensational debut, while Khaleel has proven to be expensive. Chahar is the only one who has impressed thus far, with his nagging line and lengths. He returned with figures of 6 for 7 in a T20I against Bangladesh last month.
