India is set to face the defending champions, Australia, in their first T20 World Cup warm-up today, October 17, at Brisbane's Gabba. Rahul Dravid, the head coach, plans to test various bowling rotations during these two preparatory matches. While Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh are locks for the pace attack, the competition for the third spot comes down to Mohammad Shami and Harshal Patel.
Mohammad Shami, who fills the void left by Jasprit Bumrah, has been out of action for three months. Although he was originally selected for the T20I series against Australia and South Africa, a positive Covid-19 test kept him off the field. Consequently, his last T20I outing was during the 2021 World Cup.
During that 2021 tournament, Shami managed six wickets in five games, though his economy rate sat at 8.84. However, he proved his worth in the 2022 IPL, playing a pivotal role in Gujarat Titans' title win by taking a team-high 20 wickets.
Alternatively, India could opt for Harshal Patel, marking his first time appearing in a top-tier international event. Harshal is currently bouncing back from a rib injury and had a lukewarm performance in the recent T20I series against Australia, where he took only one wicket and conceded runs at a rate of 12.37.
With death bowling being a major point of worry for India, all eyes are on captain Rohit Sharma. He must decide between the veteran Shami, who boasts 61 wickets in 77 innings, and Harshal, whose recent statistics have been underwhelming.