Fans pleased with Mohammed Shami's World Cup selection

India announced their squad for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 on Monday and it didn’t feature either Ambati Rayudu or Rishabh Pant even though they featured in the Men in Blue’s scheme of things in the recent past. Among the fast bowlers, India picked Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami with Hardik Pandya set to chip in as the other seam bowling option.

The decision to go with Shami was no surprise but what made it significant was that it was a reward he deserved. The 28-year-old Bengal pacer had a great run between his debut in 2013 till the 2015 World Cup in which he claimed 17 scalps to finish as India’s second-highest wicket-taker after Umesh Yadav (18).

He stole the headlines for being a cricketer who could reverse the old ball and pick wickets at the death overs. However, Shami fell to an injury and was out from the national team for a long time. It was during this time that Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar established themselves as better death bowlers and it took Shami a while to return to the ODI side even though he played Tests regularly.

Shami has worked on his fitness & serving India for long stretches

Shami now is one of the most trusted hands of India’s famed pace battery and even spearheaded the attack in the absence of Bumrah in New Zealand earlier this year and bagged the man of the series award. Before that, the pacer also bowled well in all the three games against Australia. He has been shouldering responsibilities in the Tests and ODIs for some time now which shows that he has worked on his fitness as well.

The pacer is currently playing in the Indian Premier League for Kings XI Punjab and has taken 10 wickets in eight matches which says a lot about his current form. Indian captain Virat Kohli will be hoping that Shami lives up to his expectations in the upcoming WC replicating his performance of 2015.

Here are some of the reactions from the fans:

Not much has been spoken of Mohammad Shami's comeback. Was nowhere in the picture until even six-seven months ago. Well deserved too.

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) April 15, 2019

Good job by Shami and Jaddu. Their hard work paid off. https://t.co/Y6YcuxcVOz

— Tanmoy (@ch_tanmoy) April 15, 2019

@bhogleharsha I think Shami have done the greatest comebacks with genuine hard work over a period of time.

— Deepak Raj (@Deepak12437037) April 15, 2019

Good to see Shami rewarded for hard work. Pant should have been taken in place of Pandya. And Jadeja should be replaced by a pacer. https://t.co/aASHPACfxy

— Prosenjit Choudhuri (@ProsenjitChoudh) April 15, 2019

Shami earned his place

— SHiVaM 🌟 (@shivamic17) April 15, 2019

Shami & Vijay Shankar was not even in contention for the world cup before 6 months ago but both going to world cup. This is how to impress the captain and selectors quickly.

— Johns (@CricCrazyJohns) April 15, 2019

Bhuvi Shami and Dk😎🤗 https://t.co/v9Mb6q1Vvs

— Shahida Munavar (@shahidamun) April 15, 2019

Vijay shankar,shami and kartihik here,,,,i m so happy😃😃😃😃
Good team

— Mahaboob Basha (@shaikbasha1996) April 15, 2019

Shami has bowled better than bumrah in recent times

— Aditya (@Adityaspeakss) April 15, 2019

Not for IPL . Look at the performances of Shami and Jadeja in Asia cup ,rest of the remaining matches .They fought there way back. Apart from bowling ,jadeja is a best fielder in the team .unlucky is Ambati rayudu

— pavankumar (@pavankumarmsc9) April 15, 2019

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from World Cup 2019, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.