On Saturday, India took on Pakistan in their first fixture of the Asia Cup at the Pallekele International Stadium.
Electing to bat first, India were rocked early by Pakistan's pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, slipping to 66/4 before Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya's 138 run-partnership ensured India were able to reach 266.
The second innings ended up being delayed at first, before being washed out entirely for the game to end with no result. However, during the game there was a bit of a surprise in India's starting XI.
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"No trust in the batsmen" - Sanjay Manjrekar slams India for benching Mohammed Shami against Pakistan
India opted to play all-rounder Shardul Thakur as the third pacer, instead of Mohammed Shami. It has not yet been confirmed whether Shami was injured, but the decision did not go down well with commentator Sanjay Manjrekar. Speaking on Star Sports, he said,
I am against this thought [playing an all-rounder to extend the batting lineup]. People talk about batting depth but what about bowling depth?
Isn’t Mohammed Shami more a threat to Pakistan batters than Shardul Thakur? I wouldn’t worry about batting depth but leaving someone out like a Shami especially on a surface where you see the ball seam around, India should have gone with three quality seamers. It just shows signs of insecurity and not trusting your batters in (Ravindra) Jadeja at No.7.
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Former India coach Ravi Shastri was also puzzled by the call, saying "One surprise there is no Shami, there must be something to it."
The washout meant India did not bowl at all, but in terms of batting, neither Jadeja nor Thakur inspired confidence, scoring just 14 and 3 respectively.
When is Team India's next match?
India will be in action next in the Asia Cup when they take on Nepal on 4 September at the same venue in Pallekele. The match will start at 3pm IST.
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