Mohammed Shami booked his place for the World Cup, feels Harsha Bhogle

Mohammed Shami is one bowler who largely remains an unsung hero in India’s pace bowling department. People talk about Jasprit Bumrah’s sensational rise in international cricket or why Ishant Sharma still is not called India’s spearhead despite shouldering a lot of responsibility early. But Shami is one bowler who is not too much in the discussion though he executes his duty with precision every time he plays for India – irrespective of the format.

The Bengal bowler, who finished second best to Bumrah as the most successful Indian bowlers in Tests in 2018, came out with an excellent performance in the first ODI against New Zealand in Napier on Wednesday. He castled both the explosive openers of the home team – Martin Guptill and Colin Munro – and returned later to pick Mitchell Santner to end with three for 19 from six overs, two of which went for maidens.

The Black Caps could never recover from these blows and were eventually bowled out for 157 and India won the game by 8 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Shami was adjudged as the man of the match. Cricket commentator and analyst Harsha Bhogle said after Shami’s match-winning show with the ball that the bowler has booked his place in the India squad for the World Cup due in England and Wales in May-July.

He said India tried a number of pacers over the last one year besides Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah as statics and though the 28-year-old didn’t feature in the scheme of things earlier, he eventually has made the cut. Speaking to anchor Gautam Bhimani on CricBuzz Live, Bhogle said, “I think Shami has booked his place to England. I think now they have to figure out how to manage his workload.”

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