Would have picked Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik, Shubman Gill in T20 World Cup squad, says Dilip Vengsarkar – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

New Delhi: Former India captain and chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar has been impressed by the raw pace of Umran Malik and batting form of Shubman Gill. So much that he would have included them, and veteran seamer Mohammed Shami, in the squad for the T20 World Cup.

“I would have picked Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill for the T20 World Cup. Would have given them a long run in T20Is because they all had a brilliant IPL season,” Vengsarkar was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Shami and Gill were part of the IPL-winning Gujarat Titans side and played a key role for the franchise. Meanwhile, Umran, who represented Sunrisers Hyderabad, bowled everyone away with his sublime pace and made 150 kmph deliveries the norm.

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Gill scored 483 runs from 16 matches for Gujarat, scoring at a strike rate of 132.33 and an average of 34.50. Shami, meanwhile, picked up 20 wickets with best figures of 3/25.

Despite the impact in the IPL, Shami has not found a place in the T20I side the World Cup last year. Although, he has been included in the squads for the Australia and South Africa series to come this month.

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Vengsarkar’s opinion on Shami was also shared by another former chairman of selector MSK Prasad. “I think the express pace of Shami is missing. If you see Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they are not express. The only bowler who has got that extra pace is Jasprit Bumrah,” he told The Indian Express.

Prasad believes the alleged freak injury to Ravindra Jadeja is a massive jolt for the Indian team given his ability to turn games around with the bat, ball and in the field.

“It is a massive blow for India. He is an integral part of this Indian team. Especially his batting in the finisher’s role has become crucial for India. He can bat anywhere in the middle order, wherever the team requires him. His injury is a big jolt to the team management,” Prasad said.

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