“Mohammed Shami Has Proven…”: Sachin Tendulkar Opens Up On Pacer’s Entry In India’s T20 World Cup Squad

The absence of Jasprit Bumrah is a “huge loss” for India, but Mohammed Shami, according to Sachin Tendulkar, can more than make up for it at the ICC T20 World Cup with his speed and skill set. Shami, who hasn’t played a single T20I match since the last World Cup in the UAE, has taken Bumrah’s position in the main team as he is sidelined indefinitely with a stress fracture in his back. The shrewd 32-year-old from Amroha, though, addressed any concerns about his fitness with a magnificent three-wicket burst in the 20th over, guaranteeing India’s six-run victory over Australia in a pre-tournament game on Monday in Brisbane.

“Bumrah not being there is a big loss and we obviously needed a strike bowler. An out and out genuine fast bowler, who could attack batters and get wickets. Shami has proven that and he seems a good replacement,” Tendulkar told PTI in an exclusive interview.

The youthful left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who has displayed a lot of heart in his brief international career thus far, appeared to have much impressed the master.

“Arshdeep has shown great promise and appears to be a balanced individual. And from what I’ve seen of him, he appears to be a dedicated individual since you can tell a player by their thinking, according to the illustrious hitter.

Tendulkar believes that sticking to a plan is just as crucial as coming up with one.

“What I really enjoy about Arshdeep is that he sticks to his plans when he has them, and that is very, extremely crucial in this format when batters are playing additional shots and some creative ones.  Therefore, if you have a plan, commit to it.”

India will play at the MCG, SCG, Adelaide, and Perth (Optus Stadium), larger Australian stadiums that are more challenging to hit against the spin.

According to Tendulkar, a captain should consider the dimensions of the playing surface when selecting his spinners for the starting XI.

There are very few hitters who have been able to regularly hit against the turn since you end up playing more in its direction. Typically, captains select whether to bowl an off-spinner/leg spinner or a left-arm spinner based on the size of the boundary. Before choosing a spinner, you also take the breeze’s direction into consideration.

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