India clearly has better bowlers than him: Sanjay Manjrekar questions Md. Shami's spot in T20 WC squad

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes it is time for the Indian team to re-assess their T20 setup and leave out players who are better suited for the other formats of the game. India have had a poor start to their campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 and are currently on the verge of missing out on a spot in the playoffs after two losses and one win in their first three Super 12 matches.

India's woeful start has led to several questions being raised about the selection of some of the members of the current T20 World Cup squad. Manjrekar cited the example of fast bowler Mohammed Shami and said while he is suited for Test cricket, India clearly have better bowlers than him when it comes to the shortest format of the game.

Indian pacers have struggled to deliver so far in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021. Barring Jasprit Bumrah, none of the speedsters have managed to make an impact so far. Shami, who went wicket-less in the first two games against Pakistan and New Zealand, returned to form as he picked up three wickets against Afghanistan in their last encounter.

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"I think the time has come now for India to look at their T20 team and look at certain players and maybe assess whether these guys are better suited to playing some other format... Maybe there are some players in this T20 team who will add greater value or the best value that they can possibly add in one format and not be as good in the others... I am thinking about Mohammed Shami," Manjrekar said in a preview video forDafa News,ahead of India's game against Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday (November 05).

"I think we have seen enough of Mohammed Shami to know that his greatest quality and where he's a superb asset for the team is Test match cricket. The last time I looked, his economy in T20 cricket was 9. I know he bowled well against Afghanistan but India clearly has bowlers who are slightly better than Mohammed Shami in T20 cricket," he added.

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Shami, who has been with the Indian team for quite a while now, has so far managed to play only 15 T20Is and has 15 wickets to his name at an average of over 34 and an economy rate of 9.79. Manjrekasr said the selectors should avoid making the mistake of selecting a player in a particular format based on his reputation in some other format.

"One must learn, as selectors especially, to disregard the reputation a man has earned in another format while assessing his place in a side for one format. India makes that mistake with Ravichandran Ashwin and to an extent Mohammed Shami," said the former India batter.

India will be looking to continue their winning run against Scotland on Friday after registering a big win by 66 runs in their last game against Afghanistan to open their win account in the tournament.