"I don't really think that he personally would want to be a part of that World Cup squad" - Sanjay Bangar on star pacer's place for IND vs ENG T20Is

Sanjay Bangar doesn't want India to risk Mohammed Shami in the upcoming T20I series against England. He opined that the veteran pacer might not want to be a part of next year's T20 World Cup and would be a bigger asset in Tests.

India will face England in a five-match T20I series, with the first game to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on January 22, followed by three ODIs. It remains to be seen whether Shami, who hasn't represented the Men in Blue since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, is in the selectors' thoughts for the series.

During a discussion on the Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues', Bangar was asked whether India should go back to Shami for the T20Is against England.

"I think the reason he played the Syed Mushtaq Ali and, for that matter, he is also probably playing the Vijay Hazare, was to prove his fitness. If you are thinking ahead whether he is going to be a part of the World Cup squad and you have a chance to really look that much ahead, you have that luxury," he responded.

"I don't really think that he personally would want to be a part of that World Cup squad. The Test format is still his best format and that is where India need him the most," the former India all-rounder added.

Bangar pointed out that Shami would have been a potent weapon alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj had he been a part of the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25.

"Think of a Mohammed Shami bowling with a Siraj and a Jasprit Bumrah against the Australian batting lineup, I think the series result would have been different. India need him more in the longer format and hence I would not want to risk him in this format," he observed.

Mohammed Shami has picked up 229 wickets at an average of 27.71 in 64 Tests. He has played only 23 T20Is, accounting for 24 dismissals at an economy rate of 8.94.

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"I would rather groom somebody like a Prasidh Krishna" - Sanjay Bangar

In the same discussion, Sanjay Bangar noted that he would prefer to play Prasidh Krishna ahead of Mohammed Shami in the T20Is against England.

"I would rather groom somebody like a Prasidh Krishna because you want to know a little bit more about him. He is somebody who picked up six wickets in the last Test match that he played," he said.

The former India batting coach added that the lanky Karnataka pacer could be a handy bowler for the middle overs.

"He also came to the limelight because of his performances in the T20 format. He has the ability to bowl the short ball and you want to exploit that. Look what England do, they want faster bowlers to bowl in the middle overs because they want batters who are coming on the front foot to be dismissed off the short ball," Bangar elaborated.

Prasidh Krishna has picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 11.00 in five T20Is. He has accounted for 81 dismissals at an economy rate of 8.60 in 82 T20s.