Gujarat Titans, one of the two newcomers this season, will have a lot to prove when they make their IPL 2022 debut. The Titans, led by captain Hardik Pandya, will have a point to make in their first season in the world's richest T20 league when they face fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants on Monday, March 28.
The Titans established a solid roster at the two-day IPL auction in February, keeping Pandya, Shubman Gill, and Rashid Khan.
The Titans' fast-bowling department is shaping up to be one of their strongest aspects. Titans have plenty of choices to choose from with players like Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammad Shami, and Varun Aaron.
"We have a combination of everything and that is very important. Somebody like Shami… people have gone for 10 crore, 12 crore, 14 crore… but here is Shami. I have always believed in him. People might be saying 'Oh, white-ball format, not much impressive numbers'.
Numbers in T20 formats are as it is very close. In the end, how you use a player. Here you are talking about a guy who has really bowled well," Gujarat Titans coach Ashish Nehra told Boria Majumdar on his show 'Backstage with Boria'.
Ashish Nehra appeared pleased with the stocks at his disposal at GT, but he singled out one of his pacers for special attention. Nehra is so delighted with Shami that he has no reservations about comparing him to fellow India pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
"When it comes to Shami, I keep him absolutely on par with Jasprit Bumrah. Even when you see white-ball cricket, be in T20 or ODIs, maybe Bumrah’s economy rate is 7.5 and Shami can be 8.2, 8.5, but look at his strike-rate. He is a wicket-taker. When you have somebody like Shami and his experience, you cannot ask for anything better," added Nehra.
