‘Nappy badal raha hai Bumrah’ – Fans react as Mohammed Shami replaces Jasprit Bumrah in Asia Cup match against Nepal

India announced its playing XI for the match against Nepal in the Asia Cup 2023 group stage match. As Rohit Sharma won the toss, he elected to bowl first in Pallekele, where rain might affect the result of the match, much like the match between India and Pakistan. India has to win the match against Nepal in the next stage of the tournament. In case of match gets washed out, India will qualify. 

Since it is like a must-win game for India, the management has decided to make not so many changes, barring the one forceful change. Jasprit Bumrah returned to Mumbai, as he and his wife were expecting their first baby. Hence, the 29-year-old was ruled out from the game against Nepal. As India won the toss, the Indian captain announced the return of Shami. 

The 33-year-old pacer is playing a match for the first time after the World Test Championship final against Australia. Shami has a lot of experience in international cricket, particularly in ODIs. In the format, Shami is one of the best bowlers of Indian cricket of all time. The veteran can bring nearly the same impact as Bumrah with the ball for India. 

Bumrah’s absence brings Shami back in the playing XI

The right-arm seamer was not picked for the match against Pakistan, which was criticized a lot by the fans. Shami has a tremendous record in the big tournaments for India. Shardul Thakur, who is capable of batting better than Shami, was preferred in the playing XI against Pakistan. The absence of Bumrah has brought Shami back in the team.  

As soon as Shami got the opportunity to bowl, he was asked to lead the attack straight away. Interestingly, Shami became the first Indian bowler to bowl a ball in the Asia Cup 2023 even after missing the first match. The Indian fielders looked floppy in the field at the beginning against Nepal. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli dropped sitters in back-to-back deliveries and did not help the bowlers.  

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news –