3 reasons why Mohammed Shami should not replace Shardul Thakur permanently in India's playing 11

India got off to a terrific start in the 3-match ODI series against Australia, beating the Pat Cummins-led side by 5 wickets in Mohali.

The series, which is being played as a precursor to the ICC Cricket World Cup, is an important one for both sides, as they are both eager to fine-tune their preparations for the quadrennial event.

As such, the win yesterday will boost India's morale as it came in the absence of seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Yesterday's victory was set up by the experienced Mohammed Shami, who registered career-best figures of 5-51. Shami's immaculate bowling helped India restrict the visitors to a score of 276, which was chased down with 8 balls to spare.

Shami was adjudged the player of the match, and his performance has now created a dilemma for the management. Going by recent games, it is crystal clear that the first two pacers in the pecking order are Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. Kuldeep Yadav takes another spot, which leaves just one vacant position.

The options are Shami, Axar Patel, and Shardul Thakur, and while one can't deny that Shami is the clear winner if bowling was the only criterion, the captain and coach have preferred going in with a bowling all-rounder.

Axar Patel has been picked on slow tracks, while Thakur has been played in conditions that are helpful to seam bowling.

This has resigned Shami to the bench in recent times, but his performance has ignited a debate as to whether Shami or Thakur should be picked as the third seamer.

The public seems to be divided with regard to this, as some feel that Shami should be included in the 11 thanks to his superior batting, while others opine that an all-rounder in Thakur will serve India better.

Here, we take a look at 3 reasons why Mohammed Shami should not replace Shardul Thakur permanently in India's playing 11:

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#1 Thakur's superior batting skills

Mohammed Shami is without a doubt the better bowler, but Thakur's superior batting skills give him a slight edge. The other big teams, like Pakistan, Australia, England, and New Zealand, all boast a lot of depth in their batting.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about India. In the modern era of ODI cricket, where teams are batting deeper than ever before, it is important to have bowlers who can contribute with the bat as well.

While Shami is capable of striking a few lusty blows, he is not someone who can be relied upon to bat at number 8. As such, Thakur playing at that position can make a massive difference to the team. Thakur is a very capable batter, as we have seen in the past when he has rescued India in Test cricket.

If India are batting first, he can come in and add a few more runs to the total, and if India are chasing, he has the skills and composure to stick around and even make runs.

This is important because in a tournament like the World Cup, the margins are small, so minor contributions hold huge importance. Thus, for the sake of team balance, Thakur should be preferred ahead of Shami.

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#2 Thakur's recent form

Shardul Thakur has been in good form in recent times and has done a more than decent job for the side with the ball in hand. This year, he has bowled in 11 games, going wicketless on just two occasions. It is to be noted that in one of those two games, he bowled just two overs.

Over a period of time, he has emerged as a serious wicket-taking option and has also earned the reputation of being a partnership breaker. While it is true that he can be erratic at times, Shami too has shown a tendency to leak runs in recent times.

Out of 11 games this year, he has conceded runs at a rate over 6 on five occasions, which is not ideal. His death bowling skills are not the best either, and so Thakur as a package seems like a better option.

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#3 A sense of security

Shardul Thakur's mere presence in the lineup will give the batters a lot of freedom to go out and play without fear of failure. If India's batting ends at number 7, the top and middle-order batters may feel compelled to play conservatively to avoid losing wickets too early.

However, if Thakur plays, they will be aware of the fact that even if they fail, there is depth in the batting unit and will thus be in a better frame of mind.

They will be able to play confidently, knowing there is a cushion to fall back on. The Indian team is already under severe pressure, and they could surely do without an additional headache.