"Mohammed Shami is not an automatic choice" - Aakash Chopra feels pacer not a sure-shot starter for India in upcoming T20 World Cup

Aakash Chopra believes Mohammed Shami is not a sure-shot pick as a Team India seamer for the T20 World Cup later this year.

Shami was the standout Indian bowler in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. His four-wicket haul in New Zealand's first innings helped Team India stage a comeback in the summit clash.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked if Mohammed Shami could replicate his performance in the WTC final at the T20 World Cup.

The cricketer-turned-commentator responded that the right-arm seamer is not a certainty in the Indian T20I team:

"Shami is not an automatic choice. You want him to be there. He did well for Kings XI Punjab in Dubai but he was just about okay for Punjab Kings here. He was coming back from injury and did not have the rhythm."

However, Chopra added Shami could be in the Indian team's scheme of things for the T20 World Cup if he performs well in the five-Test series against England and the remainder of IPL 2021. He added:

"If you talk about T20, it is the one format where Shami doesn't walk into the team straightaway. But if the player keeps on doing well, he will play the five Tests and then the IPL, if he is carrying forward that form, of course, why not."

Mohammed Shami has scalped 12 wickets in as many T20Is he has played for Team India. He has proved to be quite expensive as well, having conceded an average of 9.80 runs per over.

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Mohammed Shami's T20 numbers haven't been extraordinary ever: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra feels Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar should play ahead of Mohammed Shami

Aakash Chopra highlighted that Mohammed Shami does not have great numbers in the shortest format of the game. He said:

"Shami's T20 numbers are alright. They haven't been extraordinary ever. And because of that, he is not part of every T20 team as well. Especially if you see this team, you will put Bumrah in this T20 Team without any hesitation. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar are ahead of him on this list or standing at par. Then there will be T Natarajan. You will want to consider him as soon as he is fit and available."

THAT feeling of getting back on the field for the first time during recovery 😍@Natarajan_91 #OrangeArmy #OrangeOrNothing #SRH pic.twitter.com/WKdV3DJFnP

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) June 22, 2021

The 43-year-old signed off by picking Mohammed Shami at the fourth spot in his pecking order of Indian seamers for the T20 World Cup. Chopra pointed out:

"If I have to give my first three choices - Bumrah is No.1, Bhuvi is No.2, I am going with Deepak Chahar as No.3 and then I have got Shami at four. I have got Natarajan at five. But then Shardul Thakur is also there, there is actually a crowd - Siraj and Umesh are also there. But this will be my pecking order. Shami is there in my top four but he is not there in my first two. My first two will be Bumrah and Bhuvi and I will want to start with them only."

Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are likely to be India's first-choice seamers if they are fit and available. While Team India might not field Kumar and Deepak Chahar together in the playing XI, T Natarajan could steal a march over Shami for the left-arm variety and his ability to bowl yorkers at the death.