New Zealand vs India 2019: 4 Takeaways from the ODI series

#3 Emergence of Shami As Third Seamer

Mohammed Shami has made himself very likely to be part of the Indian World Cup squad

Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah have been dazzling the cricket world through their brilliance with the white ball in limited-overs cricket.

But there was some doubt as to who would step into the role of the third seamer in case India needed one in the World Cup.

With both Kuldeep and Chahal making an impact on a regular basis, India rarely needed one and, on most occasions, Hardik Pandya proved more than useful as the back-up pacer.

But an injury or green track would demand a full-time third seamer and his identity was unclear before this series.

It has become crystal clear now in the form of Mohammed Shami. The West Bengal pacer has been a vital cog of India’s impressive showing in Test cricket but was out of favour for some time in ODIs. In this series, though, he proved his mettle.

The ability to move the ball, that too at speeds of over 140/kph, makes him a dangerous bowler in conditions which have some help for the seamers.

With him in the squad, an injury to Bumrah or Bhuvneshwar won’t leave India as much weakened as would have been expected earlier.

On top of that, he would greatly boost the bowling attack in typical English conditions, if they come around in the World Cup.

Of course, there is some ODI cricket to be played before the big event and if he loses his way, his place would be in jeopardy again. But for now, Shami is back in business, big time.