"I would have picked Mohammed Shami, Shubman Gill, and Umran Malik for T20 World Cup" - Dilip Vengsarkar

Former Indian batter Dilip Vengsarkar has named three players who he would've picked for the T20 World Cup. Vengsarkar feels Shubman Gill, Umran Malik, and Mohammed Shami deserve a place in the Indian squad following their stellar IPL 2022 campaign.

While Shami sneaked into the reserve list of India's T20 World Cup squad, Gill and Malik missed out. Gill's 483 runs in 16 games were instrumental in the Gujarat Titans' (GT) IPL triumph in their debut campaign, while SunRisers Hyderabad speedster Malik's pace throughout the competition was eye-catching.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Vengsarkar stated that the trio deserve an extended run in the T20Is. The former chief selector also observed that Shami needed to be there, with Jasprit Bumrah being the only express pacer in the main squad. He said:

"I would have picked Mohammed Shami, Umran Malik and Shubman Gill for the T20 World Cup. Would have given them a long run in T20Is because they all had a brilliant IPL season.

"I think the express pace of Shami is missing. If you see Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they are not express. The only bowler who has got that extra pace is Jasprit Bumrah."

GT's Shami had a stellar IPL 2022 campaign, picking up 20 scalps in 16 games at an average of 24.40. However, he hasn't played a T20I since November 2021, with selectors preferring the likes of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as their new-ball bowlers.

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"He can be a great finisher" - Dilip vengsarkar on Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav raises his bat after a hundred. (Credits: Getty)

Vengsarkar backed Suryakumar Yadav to play the role of a finisher and believes that the batting order should be fluid in T20s. He explained:

"I can’t really comment on who bats at what number. It is up to the think tank, the coach, the captain and the vice-captain. But I feel Suryakumar Yadav, who is batting at 4, can bat at 5 as well. He can be a great finisher. T20 is not like ODIs and Test cricket, where you need certain batters at certain positions. In this format, anybody can bat anywhere."

Suryakumar is currently ranked fourth among T20I batters. He reached second spot following a sublime hundred in a T20I against England earlier this year.