Yusuf Pathan advocates for Mohammed Shami's inclusion over Shardul Thakur for IND vs NZ World Cup match

The ongoing 2023 ODI World Cup has been filled with thrilling cricketing action from all participating nations. The Indian team has had a fantastic start to the tournament, winning all three games they have played so far. Their next match is against Bangladesh on October 19 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

In terms of the Indian playing combination, the team management has chosen Shardul Thakur over Mohammed Shami in two of the first three matches. However, in the first match, Ravi Ashwin was preferred over Shardul and Shami due to the spinning nature of the Chepauk wicket.

Ahead of the next match, a fan asked former Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan whether India should start with Mohammed Shami ahead of Shardul Thakur or Kuldeep Yadav in Dharamsala. In response, Yusuf Pathan expressed his preference for Shami due to his experience and current form. He believes that Shami's presence could be crucial for the team.

"I would prefer Mohammed Shami in the lineup instead of Shardul Thakur for the game in Dharamshala. Shami's experience and form could be crucial for us," Yusuf said on Threads replying to the question asked by a fan.

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In their journey so far, India won their first match against Australia thanks to a brilliant partnership between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. They then comfortably defeated Afghanistan, with captain Rohit Sharma scoring a century. The third match against Pakistan was also one-sided, with Rohit Sharma once again leading the team to victory with a half-century. Shreyas Iyer also contributed with a fifty.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the Indian team management sticks with Shardul Thakur or opts for the experience of Mohammed Shami. Shardul's batting capabilities have been a factor in his selection, but it should be noted that Shami also showcased his batting prowess in English conditions a couple of years back, scoring a brilliant fifty against James Anderson and Stuart Broad.