Mohammed Shami is not an automatic choice in India's T20I side: Aakash Chopra

After bagging four wickets in the ICC World Test Championship Final (WTC) Mohammed Shami’s stocks have risen further. The 30-year-old’s newfound vigor in the past two years has made him one of the vital cogs in India’s pace bowling department. But former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes the right-hand pacer is not yet an automatic pick in the playing XI for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

Shami last played a T20I game against Australia in 2020 and has only played 12 matches for India in the shortest format. Unlike both the Test and ODI formats, the pacer has not been a regular in T20 cricket as skipper Virat Kohli has preferred Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and even T Natarajan in recent years. Add to that, Bhuvneshwar Kumar too is back among the mix after a long layoff due to injury and Shami may find it difficult to make it in the T20 team.

Apart from the limited chances in the shortest format, the pacer also didn’t have a great season with the ball in the 14^th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chopra felt his mediocre form in IPL and Kohli preferring other seam bowling options might see Shami missing out from the T20 World Cup squad.

“Shami is not an automatic choice. You want him to be there. He did well for Kings XI Punjab in Dubai but he was just about okay for Punjab Kings here. He was coming back from injury and did not have the rhythm.” said Aakash Chopra in a video shared on his official Youtube channel.

Chopra feels Mohammed Shami does not walk into the T20 team

In IPL also, he has picked 68 wickets in 71 games and has blown hot and cold for the franchises. Add to that, he is not as economical as Kumar or Bumrah and Chopra felt the other pacers might edge him ahead due to their ability to be more consistent at the top.

”Shami’s T20 numbers are alright. They haven’t been extraordinary ever. And because of that, he is not part of every T20 team as well. Especially if you see this team, you will put Bumrah in this T20 Team without any hesitation. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar are ahead of him on this list or standing at par. Then there will be T Natarajan. You will want to consider him as soon as he is fit and available.” said Chopra.