WTC Final 2021: Mohammed Siraj Should Have Played In Place Of Ishant Sharma, Says Gagan Khoda

Jun 26, 2021 at 1:26 PM

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WTC Final 2021: Mohammed Siraj Should Have Played In Place Of Ishant Sharma, Says Gagan Khoda

Gagan Khoda, former India selector feels that the likes of Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur could have been included in the playing XI. The latter was not even included in the final 15 for the match against the Kiwis.

Even though India’s fast-bowling attack is known as the best in the world, still they delivered a performance that can be termed average, in the WTC final against New Zealand. Apart from Mohammed Shami’s four wicket-haul, there was not much to show. Hailed as one of the best bowlers in the world, Jasprit Bumrah did not pick up any wickets in the match, and Ishant Sharma was unimpressive too.

Gagan Khoda - K. R. DEEPAK (FILE PHOTO)
Gagan Khoda – K. R. DEEPAK (FILE PHOTO)

Gagan Khoda: Mohammed Siraj Would’ve Played In Place Of Ishant Sharma And Shardul Thakur Would’ve Been A Good Option

Mohammed Siraj had troubled England batsmen on lifeless Indian pitches while bowling match-winning figures in Australia as he spearheaded the pace attack and was India’s highest wicket-taker with 13 scalps. But experienced Ishant Sharma was preferred ahead of him in the final.

The two-Test old Shardul Thakur was mighty impressive in the only longest format game he played in the away series against Australia this year, picking up seven wickets and scoring a half-century in Brisbane.

Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj. Pics/AP, PTI
Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj. Pics/AP, PTI

“Siraj should have played in place of Ishant Sharma. The conditions were suitable for swing bowling. No one was moving the ball apart from Mohammad Shami and there was no one who supported him. Siraj could have moved the ball better. Even Shardul could have been a good option. He moves the ball well,” Gagan Khoda told SportsKeeda in an interview.

Gagan Khoda went on to speak about the inclusion of swing expert Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the Test team. He has 19 wickets in five Tests in England and has the ability to move the ball both ways.

“Bhuvneshwar is a good swing bowler and he should have been in the Indian team for the WTC final and England series,” Gagan Khoda added.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not played Test cricket for India since January 2018 but was the Player of the Series for the national team on his one and only tour of England in 2014. He picked 19 wickets at 26.63 with 2 five-wicket hauls and scored 247 runs in 5 Tests at 27.44 including 3 half-centuries on his maiden Test series in England.

However, his fitness concerns always come over the table and he has missed many matches in the past owing to the same. However, Gagan Khoda felt that he should have been there in the WTC Final squad.

Mohinder Amarnath Defends Virat Kohli

On the other hand, former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath has defended skipper Virat Kohli.

“Virat Kohli is a great player and a very good captain also. We shouldn’t be emotional; we have many expectations and when our expectations don’t get fulfilled, we start looking for something on which we can put the blame,” Amarnath was quoted as saying by ANI.

Virat Kohli, Image Source : AP IMAGE
Virat Kohli, Image Source: AP IMAGE

“Definitely he (Virat) is doing a fantastic job and a player like him comes once in a generation. Cricket will keep on moving forward and when there are so many facilities and you play for a whole year obviously your self-confidence increases. In Virat Kohli, I see both Viv Richards and Ricky Ponting so you can imagine how good a batsman Virat is. And with experience, his performances are improving and it’s important for him to continue as captain.”

Virat Kohli scored 44 and 15, getting dismissed both times by New Zealand all-rounder pacer Kyle Jamieson. While in the first innings, he was deceived by an in-dipper that trapped him out plumb in front of the wicket, in the second, the India captain poked at a ball outside off, nicking it to the wicketkeeper.

Virat Kohli’s quest for an international century continued. The India captain, who has gone without notching up a three-digit score for more than 18 months, had a chance to break the drought in the final of the WTC but in the match, none of the Indian batsmen registered even a fifty.

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