On Monday (September 12), former India cricketer Kris Srikkanth argued that senior pacer Mohammad Shami should have been included in India's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, even if that meant leaving out Harshal Patel.

A 15-member team for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia next month was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday.

In addition to picking Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Suryakumar Yadav as primary batters, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Harshal Patel were chosen as the primary fast bowling options.

“If I was the chairman of the selection committee, Shami is definitely in the team.” Srikkanth said while speaking on Star Sports show ‘FOLLOW THE BLUES’ post the squad announcement.

He argued that Shami’s high-arm bowling action will pose a threat to batters in Australian conditions.

“We are playing in Australia, the guy’s got the real action, the guy’s got bounce, he can bare the moment and he can get on early wickets, so I would have probably got Shami instead of Harshal Patel.”

“Yes, Harshal Patel is a good bowler, no doubt about it, but Mohammad Shami is the right guy.

“I mean they can say not the scheme of things, he’s only for Test cricket or one-day cricket but we are playing in Australia. That guy has done well last IPL, so Shami is the must in my team,” he added.

In their World Cup opener, India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23.

Bumrah, who had suffered a back injury, and Harshal, who had a side strain, underwent a rigorous rehabilitation program at the National Cricket Academy, and the BCCI medical panel has confirmed that they are fit enough to compete in the showpiece tournament.

(STAR SPORTS INPUTS)