Asia Cup 2023: Shami understands the team’s requirements, says Mhambrey

Shami, despite being the only pacer in India’s World Cup squad to have featured in the 2015 edition, has had to sit out at the cost of either Shardul Thakur or Axar Patel.

Bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has stressed that Shami has been spoken to and understands the requirements of the team. | Photo Credit: PTI

He is the most experienced bowler in India’s pace pack. Still, with the team management’s thrust on strengthening its batting order, Mohammed Shami has had to sit out of crucial India games during the ongoing Asia Cup.

With the Indian team management set to stick to the same module for the forthcoming World Cup, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has stressed that Shami has been spoken to and understands the requirements of the team.

“It’s extremely difficult, it’s not very easy to leave out someone like Shami. You know with the experience he has, the performances he has done for the country, it’s phenomenal. So it’s never easy to have that kind of conversation,” Mhambrey said on Thursday, ahead of India’s Super Four clash versus Bangladesh.

“We are very clear in terms of the way we have gone about the communication that we have with the players. Any decision that we have taken, the player knows the intent where we come from and anything is for the benefit of the team. So a particular player knows why he is not in the team is a particular reason why he is not in the team and it’s always difficult to leave someone like him.

“But I think the requirement at that stage may not be possible to play and he understands that. I think we have been honest with that, the communication and he is very being very reciprocal with it.”

Shami, despite being the only pacer in India’s World Cup squad to have featured in the 2015 edition, has had to sit out of a majority of the game at the cost of either Shardul Thakur or Axar Patel. The decision was due to the team management’s emphasis on having a batting option at No. 8.