‘Shami toh hona chaiye thaa’ – Fans react as Mohammad Shami fails to find spot in playing XI against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023

The great match has finally arrived as the Men in Blue have locked horns against Babar Azam’s side for their opening match of the Asia Cup at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Notably, the lethal pacer Mohammad Shami did not get his place in the playing eleven, as Team India opted to go with star seamer Shardul Thakur, who can also contribute with the bat. In addition, the great middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav has also been left out of the playing XI owing to his past poor performances in 50-over formats.

Earlier, India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited the Men in Green to take up the fielding. Notably, when former India coach Ravi Shastri asked him about his team, the 36-year-old skipper said it was a quality tournament with the toughest opposition of the Continental Cup. In addition, the stylish right-handed batter clarified that they have picked up Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah in the playing eleven after their return to the squad, along with three seamers and two spinners.

It’s a quality tournament with quality oppositions: Rohit Sharma

“We are going to bat first. There is a bit of weather around, but can’t think much about it. Got to play good cricket, you need to embrace the challenge, embrace the situation. We had some time off after the West Indies series. Everyone was up for those drills and challenges in Bangalore. Let’s see what we can achieve in this tournament,” captain Rohit Sharma said at the toss.

“It’s a quality tournament with quality opposition. At the end of the day, we need to see what we can achieve as a team. Iyer is back, Bumrah is back and we got three seamers. Got two spinners – Kuldeep and Jadeja, ” he added further.