"He is technically not an ideal replacement for Bumrah" - Aakash Chopra on the prospect of Mohammed Shami being promoted to the main squad 

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes Mohammed Shami is not a like-for-like replacement for Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Bumrah will reportedly not feature in the marquee tournament after sustaining a back stress fracture, which could effectively rule him out for four to six months.

The team management will likely have to replace him with one of the candidates from the list of standby players. In terms of pace bowling options, Mohammed Shami and Deepak Chahar are the current options, with both bringing their own merits and demerits.

Aakash Chopra believes Shami would be an excellent prospect with the new ball. However, he expressed his concerns about the pacer's ability to bowl at the death. He said on his YouTube channel:

"Mohammad Shami has tested negative for COVID-19, but he still has to report to NCA and prove his fitness. He will certainly not be there for the second T20I."

Chopra continued:

"He is technically not an ideal replacement for Bumrah. He might bowl better than Bumrah with the new ball, but he will be shaky in the death overs."

Mohammed Shami last played a T20I in the T20 World Cup 2021. The management chose to focus on a new breed of bowlers following India's group stage exit in the UAE. The right-arm pacer has remained in pole position for selection in Tests and ODIs, but was cast away from the shortest format.

He was not considered for selection despite a solid Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign for the Gujarat Titans (GT). Claiming 20 wickets at an economy of around 8.00, he played a vital cog in the franchise's title-winning season.

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"He should have been with this team a long time back" - Aakash Chopra on selction committee snubbing Mohammed Shami

Several young pacers have been given the opportunity to make their mark over the course of the last year by the Indian team management.

The likes of Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan and Umran Malik have all made their debuts in this time span. Meanwhile, the experience and skill set of Mohammed Shami has not been used even once.

Opining that Shami should have been a part of the T20I setup much before Jasprit Bumrah's untimely injury, Chopra said:

"I still believe that Shami should have been part of the Asia Cup [2022] side, he should have been with this team a long time back. He has not played a T20I for around a year. So, not ideal. But it is what it is."

If selected as Bumrah's replacement, Shami will head into the World Cup with very little recent T20I experience under his belt.

He was ruled out of the series against Australia after testing positive for COVID-19. While he has recovered from the infection, it is yet to be seen whether he can partake in the two remaining T20Is against South Africa.

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