‘He would have definitely gotten a few wickets……’ – Dinesh Karthik on Mohammed Shami’s absence on Day 2 of 1st Test vs SA

India’s star cricketer Dinesh Karthik feels Rohit Sharma and Co. are currently missing Mohammed Shami in the ongoing Test series against South Africa at the Sports park in Centurion. Notably, the home side completely dominated on Day 2, with an unbeaten knock of 140 runs by Dean Elgar. However, the Men in Blue have managed to get five wickets on Day 2, and they will be looking to get the rest of the wickets on Day 3.

However, Dinesh Karthik feels that Shami has had great success over the years, and his presence would have made a difference in the game in Centurion. The wicketkeeper batter feels the 33-year-old cricketer would have given India a great breakthrough and put the visiting side in a commanding position.

“The man has grown in stature as a bowler and as a leader of the pack. He is an able lieutenant to Jasprit Bumrah. You can imagine with the upright seam on this kind of pitch. I promise you, he would have definitely gotten a few wickets. The Indian team really misses him,” Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz.

Siraj was a tad bit expensive, especially in the last spell: Dinesh Karthik

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna were a bit costly and conceded many runs. However, the RCB stalwart hails the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The cricket analyst feels Bumrah and Siraj didn’t get the support from Prasidh and Shardul Thakur, which put the Proteas in a dominant position.

“Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna going for close to 118 runs in their 27 overs. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj went for just 111 in their 31 overs. Siraj was a tad bit expensive, especially in the last spell, they also bowled some brilliant balls. You could see every time they were on, you got the feeling that they could get you a wicket or two. Whereas with Shardul or Prasidh, you had to wait for a batter to make a mistake,” he added further.