India’s probable squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia has been announced, sparking concerns over the strength of the fast bowling department.
Veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is recovering from a foot injury, has been snubbed from the selection.
The fast bowling pack of India includes Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana. Apart from them, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini and Khaleel Ahmed are backup pacers with the team.
Former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, stated his disappointment by stating, “This seam attack which we are so proud of and have won so many matches on it’s performances seems to have a problem. Siraj’s form has dipped and there is no Shami. I am sure Australia won’t be too nervous seeing this Indian seam attack.”
He further added, “The biggest setback for India is that there is no Shami and Siraj has underperformed. On the last tour, Siraj was at his peak. Prasidh Krishna can make a surprise cut in the XI for India Down Under. Yash Dayal came under the radar of Indian selectors but he has now disappeared completely, so that is surprising to me”.
Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar defends Gambhir after losing the series to New Zealand
New Zealand defeated India in the second Test by 113 runs, and clinched the series 2-0. Notably, this is India’s first home series loss to the Black Caps. India played miserably against the Kiwi spinners, making them take advantage of pitch and condition.
Fans all over the world started blaming Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Indian coach Gautam Gambhir for the loss of series. Former Indian batter and current cricket expert Sanjay Manjrekar came in support of the coach and defended him.
He said, “Blaming Gautam Gambhir would be terribly unfair, A coach has the minimal influence on performance. A coach doesn’t set foot on the ground, the ground is the one in charge out there.”
“Also a team that won 18 consecutive home series losing one should not make India a poor team. Score is 18-1. And that’s pretty awesome!”- he added.
