Is Shami favourite to replace Bumrah in India's T20 WC squad? Head coach Rahul Dravid gives his take

Team India received a major blow ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 after premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. The Men in Blue have done well in the shortest format under Rohit Sharma's captaincy since their disappointing exit at the T20 World Cup last year, however, Bumrah's absence has severely impacted India's chances of winning the trophy this year.

While BCCI is yet to name an official replacement for the fast bowler, the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar and Umran Malik among others are reportedly in contention to replace Bumrah in India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 starting in Australia later this month.

Senior pacer Shami is one of the favourites considering his experience and skills. He was part of the reserves when selectors announced India's squad for the World Cup last month despite having not playedin the shortest format of the Men in Blue since the T20 World Cup last year.

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He was set to feature in the T20I series against Australia at home last month but had to miss out after testing positive for COVID-19 before missing the recently-concluded three-match T20I series against South Africa as he failed to recover in time.

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Despite lack of game time, Shami is seen as one of the strongest contenders to take Bumrah's spot in India's squad as a strike bowler. India head coach Rahul Dravid said the team management will assess Shami's medical reports before taking a call on his inclusion in the team.

Dravid admitted it would have been ideal had Shami taken part in the recently-concluded T20I series against South Africa.

"He (Shami) in the NCA at the moment - we'll have to get reports as to how he's recovering, and what's his status after 14-15 days of Covid, and we'll take a call, once I get reports on how he's feeling, then we can take a call and the selectors can take a call on how we move forward on in," Dravid said in the post-match presser after India's 49-run defeat in 3rd T20I against South Africa on Tuesday.

"Shami obviously is someone who's in the standbys, but unfortunately for us, he couldn't play this series, which would have been ideal from that perspective," the India head coach added.

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While Shami remains a strong contender to replace Bumrah, Chahar might also be considered for promotion from the reserves to the main squad for the T20 World Cup considering his recent form. The swing bowler has been impressive with the new ball and can also prove to be handy with the bat in the tail.

India have time till October 15 to finalise a replacement for Bumrah, who is one of the best fast bowlers in the world and is not easy to replace by any means. Indian team will leave for Australia this week to begin their preparations for the showpiece event.