Mohammed Shami feels IPL will be key as he looks to get fit ahead of the T20 World Cup.© AFP
India pacer Mohammed Shami has opened up on his plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States. Team India will take on Ireland in their first match of the tournament on June 5 at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in US. Shami has been out of action since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup due to an ankle injury. The player did not feature in the recently-concluded Test series against South Africa, and also did not find a place in the squad for the first two Test of the five-match series against England.
Reports have emerged that Shami might play the last three Tests. However, Shami feels that the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be key for him.
“There’s still a lot of time. There’s an IPL before that. Whoever is playing well should be picked for the T20 World Cup. It’s important to be selecting the team basis the combination. If I’m performing well, I should be selected. Who will say no to the World Cup?,” Shami told News 24.
The ongoing T20I series against Afghanistan will be India’s final white-ball assignment before the World Cup in June.
Shami, alongwith senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, was been rested for the three-match series. India lead the series 2-0 with the final game in Bengaluru later today.
Shami also spoke on Hardik Pandya’s move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians.
“Kisike jane se kisiko farak nahi padta (See, it doesn’t matter who is leaving). You have to see the team’s balance. Hardik was there, he captained us well. He took us to the final in both editions and we won once. But Gujarat hadn’t signed Hardik for a lifetime. It’s his decision to stay or leave. Shubman is made captain now, he will also gain experience. Some day, he might also leave. And it’s a part of the game. Players come and go.
“When you become captain, it’s important to handle the responsibility while taking care of your performances. And that responsibility has been assigned to Shubman this time. He might have some load in his mind, but the players are more or less the same. So he doesn’t need to worry. You need to manage players well and extract the best out of your players,” he added.
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