Mohammad Shami picked up 8 wickets in the first Test match against South Africa.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra praised India's pacer Japsrit Bumrah for being an important asset of the team and called him special. But he picked Mohammad Shami as India's number 1 Test bowler.
Shami bagged eight wickets in the recently concluded first Test match against South Africa which India won by 113 runs. He also completed 200 Test wickets with his fifer in the first innings of the match.
Chopra, in his YouTube video, said that Shami's effectiveness in all conditions impresses him. "You look at Bumrah because he's special. But if we equalize every condition, India's number one Test pacer is Mohammad Shami, especially at this point in time. He asks questions with the delivery of his. He took five wickets against this team in Vishakhapatnam as well and now he took a fifer at Centurion," he said.
The 44-year-old further mentioned that Bumrah bowls magical deliveries, but Shami bowls consistently in the danger areas to trouble the batters. "We saw sideways movement from Ngidi, Rabada's pace and saw Bumrah's magic.
"But what about Shami? Shami doesn't bowl a magic delivery like Bumrah does. But he bowls on dangerous areas consistently and releases the ball with so close to the stumps. Who bowled the most deliveries on the fourth stump? Who bowled the maximum deliveries that were hitting on top of off? - It was sensational Shami," he said.
Chopra also heavily praised Bumrah further in his video and termed him as a 'national asset' and a 'treasure' of the team. The fast bowler produced a great spell in the second innings of the opening Test against South Africa to push the opponents on backfoot.
"Jasprit Bumrah is a national asset. He's a treasure. We are so fortunate that our fast bowling unit has matured together. Bumrah took important wickets at important phases of the game. He set the tone by dismissing Dean Elgar in the very first over (first innings). Then, on Day 4 when there was a partnership building up for South Africa, he bowled a magical ball to van der Dussen. Then Keshav Maharaj came to the crease, and mind you, he bats well," said Chopra.
"Bumrah wonderfully bowled a yorker to dismiss him. He then took Elgar out again but with a different kind of delivery. I mean he (Bumrah) is brilliant, man," he added.
(Aakash Chopra's YouTube video Inputs)