Difficult to Include Mohammad Shami in ‘Balanced Squad’: MS Dhoni

By: Drcricket7 Staff

Pacer Mohammed Shami, who is currently nursing a hamstring injury, might find it difficult to break into the Indian team even if he manages to recover in time for the World T20.

India captain MS Dhoni has hinted that it will not be easy to add him into the squad, as Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah have done pretty well with the ball.

“We still don’t know whether Shami will be fit or not,” Dhoni said. “He still has a bit of time and he was picked because of his potential.”

“He is someone who can bowl with new and old ball with yorkers being his strength,” he added. “But it will be difficult to replace Bumrah as he has contributed very well with the new ball.”

The Indian captain said Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya have given him options in both bowling and batting departments, making India a balanced team.

Dhoni added that he can only add Shami into the squad in place of Ashish Nehra, but the left-armer has bowled impressively after making a comeback into the team.

“Hardik Pandya is a seaming all-rounder,” Dhoni pointed out. “If Jadeja or him (Hardik) can bat No 8 and they can give me three or four overs, then it looks like a better balanced side.”

“Shami can only come in Ashish’s slot but he would be very tough to replace,” he added. “The reason being he’s done very well for us, he’s moved the ball around.”