The Indian team is going pretty strong in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup 2023 as they have won all the five matches that they have played till now. Though there were some concerns after the all-rounder Hardik Pandya got injured during the match against Bangladesh, the Indian team has managed quite well without Hardik Pandya as well.
Not only the Indian team won the match against Bangladesh comfortably but they also stopped the winning streak of New Zealand and Mohammed Shami who played his first match of the WC2023 emerged as the Player of the Match as he took a fifer.
The former Pak cricketer Wasim Akram feels that the Indian team looks good without Hardik Pandya and now the Indian team management cannot afford to drop Mohammed Shami.
While speaking in a show, Wasim Akram said, “This squad looks good even without Pandya. If he is fit then well and good. It will be difficult to drop Shami now. I feel India shouldn’t risk Pandya (in the match against England) because if it’s an injury to a hamstring or quad, then although you feel good initially, you could pull a muscle in the match. So let him recover 100 percent and then you can play him. Credit to the team management that whenever any player in the squad comes into the XI, he seems ready. When Shami’s ball hits the seam, it can deviate either way.”
Wasim Akram further said, “It is not easy to come into the World Cup and hit the ground running straight away. He (Shami) is a new ball bowler and sometimes while bowling first-change, you can get emotional and think ‘why didn’t I get the new ball?’ But he has the experience and he made the most of the opportunity that he got to win the game for his country.”
What do you think, should India play Hardik after getting fit or play without him?
