"Indian selectors will make a big mistake if they don't pick Mohammad Shami for the T20 World Cup" - Madan Lal

India began their quest for a record eighth Asia Cup title by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the Group A opener on Sunday (August 28) evening at the Dubai International Stadium.

The Men in Blue went into the contest with a better head-to-head (7-2) record in the shortest format. Following the win, India have now beaten their neighbors nine out of 15 times in the Asia Cup.

Batting first, Pakistan were bundled out for 147 in 19.5 overs, capitulating against India's pace troika of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4-26), Arshdeep Singh (2-33), and Hardik Pandya (3-25). Barring wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan (43 off 42 balls), no Pakistan batter could even go past the 30-run mark.

Chasing the target, Hardik Pandya smashed an unbeaten 33 off 17 balls under pressure to take India home with just two deliveries to spare. With six needed for victory from the last three balls, the Baroda all-rounder clobbered Mohammad Nawaz for a flat maximum over long-on to finish the game in style. Virat Kohli (35 off 34 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (35 off 29 balls), too, chipped in with crucial contributions.

The ongoing 15th edition of the Asia Cup, originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka but later relocated to the UAE due to the political and economic crisis in the island nation, will serve as a dress rehearsal for the participants ahead of this year's T20 World Cup in Australia, The top two teams from both groups will vie against each other in the Super 4 stage to punch their ticket to the final.

Touted as favorites for the continental crown, India are missing the services of their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out with a back injury. However, if the first match is anything to go by, Rohit Sharma and Co. can easily bank on the available resources in a bid to defend the Asia Cup title.

In a recent conversation with Sportskeeda, former Indian all-rounder and member of the 1983 World Cup-winning team Madan Lal spoke about the in-form Men in Blue, Kohli's chances of regaining his form and why Mohammad Shami deserves to be in India's T20 World Cup squad.

Here are the excerpts:

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Q: India have played 25 T20Is since the end of the 2021 T20 World Cup, which is more than any other country. How much will the abundance of match practice help the team figure out the ideal combination ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup?

Madan Lal: The more a team plays, the easier it gets to decide the combination. If you and your team are in good form going into a tournament, the chances of winning are quite high. There’s no substitute for match practice. I’m sure the Indian think-tank has planned how many matches they are going to play before the T20 World Cup and who will play what match.

The Asia Cup is a very tough competition and a perfect dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup. We’ll now get to know exactly how much the team has benefited from so many T20Is. You learn a lot of things when you play international matches.

Combination ka malum par jaata hai, kis bowler ko kitne over dalwaana hai vagera vagera. (You get to know about the team combination, which bowler should be given how many overs etc). A good amount of match practice always augurs well for a captain and his team.

Q: In the match against Pakistan, Virat Kohli became the first Indian to play 100 matches in all formats of the game. In a recent interview, he said he didn’t touch his bat for a month. How important was the break and will it facilitate his return to form?

Madan Lal: I still think Virat is India’s biggest match-winner. He’s such a great player that he knows how to adjust his game. If he’s hitting the ball in the nets, he’ll go into the matches with a lot of confidence. No matter whether he’s in form or not, the opposition teams will always be scared of Virat.

I don’t think there will be too much pressure on Virat. People aren't talking about him as much as they did a couple of months ago. As they say, "Form is temporary, class is permanent." Form can come back any time.

Q: How much will the absence of Jasprit Bumrah affect India in the Asia Cup?

Madan Lal: We are definitely going to miss Bumrah as he’s our main bowler. He’s a genuine wicket-taker and doesn’t give away too many runs. If he bowls four overs, he generally doesn’t concede more than 25 runs and ends up claiming one or two wickets. India will miss him the most in the death overs.

Q: What is your assessment of Arshdeep Singh? Do you see him make the cut for India’s T20 World Cup squad?

Madan Lal: Arshdeep is a very intelligent bowler and the Asia Cup will give him an opportunity to step up and become a hero. He delivered in the pressure game against Pakistan. You become a great bowler only when you help your team win big-ticket matches.

Q: Mohammad Shami hasn’t featured in a T20I for nearly a year now. Is the team management doing the right thing by phasing him out of T20Is?

Madan Lal: Shami should definitely be in the team for the T20 World Cup. He’s our best bowler after Bumrah. I would look for a bowler who could get me wickets. I don’t want bowlers who would only look to contain runs. Batters will keep scoring runs in this format. The only way to stem the flow of runs is to take wickets.

The Indian selectors will make a big mistake if they don’t pick Shami. He’s a great bowler and has done well in Australia in the past. I don’t understand why they are not picking him for T20s. You think he’s not a better bowler than those who are playing now? He’s one of the best bowlers in world cricket.