"It needs to be seen how the team management will make him sit out going forward" - Gautam Gambhir lauds Mohammed Shami's spell in IND vs NZ clash

Gautam Gambhir believes it will be difficult for the Indian team management to keep Mohammed Shami out of their playing XI after his match-winning spell in their World Cup 2023 clash against New Zealand.

Shami registered figures of 5/54 in 10 overs as the Men in Blue bowled out the Kiwis for 273 in Dharamsala on Sunday, October 22. The two-time champions then chased down the target with four wickets and two overs to spare to register their fifth consecutive win.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about his thoughts on Shami's spell to which he responded:

"I totally agree with Bhajju pa (Harbhajan Singh) that he has a different class. The Indian team management need to have a lot of might to keep him out. No doubt India have won four consecutive matches but despite that, Mohammed Shami should have been a part of this playing XI from the start."

The former India opener added:

"India went with five bowlers on a Dharamsala ground, which is quite difficult for the bowlers, and despite that, if you give your team five wickets, you can understand the level of bowler he is. It needs to be seen how the team management will make him sit out going forward. Will you persist with him once Hardik Pandya comes back?"

Shami was ignored for India's first four matches of the ongoing World Cup, with either Shardul Thakur or Ravichandran Ashwin playing instead of him. However, he was included in the XI for Sunday's game to bolster the seam-bowling department after Hardik Pandya was ruled out due to an ankle injury.

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"It was just his class" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami was awarded the Player of the Match for his game-defining spell. [P/C: AP]

Sanjay Manjrekar was asked what Mohammed Shami did differently from the other bowlers, to which he replied:

"It was just his class - seam up and attacking the stumps. There was a little help on the pitch, so he doesn't try too much in the air, slightly hit the deck. It was a pitch that suited him."

The former India batter praised the veteran pacer for helping his side bounce back in the game in the last few overs of the Black Caps' innings. He elaborated:

"India made a different comeback today thanks to Mohammed Shami because generally there is a comeback in the middle overs through (Ravindra) Jadeja or Kuldeep Yadav, or (Jasprit) Bumrah or (Mohammed Siraj) taking wickets in the middle overs but Mohammed Shami did magic in the end overs today."

Manjrekar concluded by observing that India played just five bowlers and one of them had to be a bowling star for them to control New Zealand and it was Shami in this case.