After Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur are set to travel to Australia on Thursday (October 13) to join the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt lauded this move by saying they have finally realized their mistakes and taken the right decision.
Shami and Siraj have already been named in India’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad as standby players, and now one of them is expected to replace the injured Jasprit Bumrah in the main squad for the mega event.
On the other hand, Thakur came to plans after another standby player, Deepak Chahar, was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2022 with a back injury. Veteran pacer Shami is the front-runner to take Bumrah’s place in India’s main 15-member squad for the showpiece event, starting on October 16 in Australia.
The fast-bowling trio will join the Indian cricket team before their two warm-up matches against Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane on October 17 and October 19, respectively.
Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel: “Yes, they (India) have realized (their mistakes). Their problems with death bowling were quite visible. India's bowling doesn't look threatening when they don't get swing. It was a worrying sign for the teams. They were conceding 200 runs quite frequently.”
Shami is a great asset for Team India with his skill and experience. Siraj bowls the hard length and is currently in great form, whereas Thakur’s all-around ability will provide cover for Hardik Pandya.
Speaking about how they can be effective in Australia, the veteran Pakistani batter noted: “Good that Shami is fit now. He's an experienced guy, he doesn't need to prove himself. He has played an ODI World Cup there. He knows what to do. Siraj was the Player of the Series against South Africa. He has pace, he is young, bowls the hard length. I've been saying for a long time that when Bumrah is not fit then Siraj can be a good option. Looking at the conditions, these are good picks.”
Butt signed off by saying, “Shardul Thakur is a fast-bowling all-rounder. Yes, he is not that quick but the kind of bounce that is available on Australian pitches, if he can hit the right areas, he will be effective. And he has shown that he can be handy with the bat. He has scored runs in England.”
