‘Kash Shami bhi Mumbai Indians se hota’ – Fans react as Sanjay Manjrekar comments on Mohammed Shami’s snub in IND vs PAK Asia Cup game

Asia Cup 2023 resumed on Saturday after a break. The game on Saturday is the big one between India and Pakistan. The match was highly anticipated as the arch-rivals were playing against each other after a long time. The last time the two met in a fifty-over format was in the 2019 World Cup.

Pakistan had already named their XI the day before the game. Babar Azam had named an unchanged side that won against Nepal by 238 runs. India on the other hand had a lot of thinking to do. One of the biggest calls was to rest Mohammad Shami for the opening encounter.

After an initial spell of drizzle, the match saw a prompt start on time. The focus was on the two captains who came for the toss. Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first. India went in with 3 pacers in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja were the two spinners in the team.

Sanjay Manjrekar has his say on Mohammed Shami’s exclusion 

Former Indian batter turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar wasn’t happy with Mohammed Shami being left out. During the pre-game chat after the toss Manjrekar said “Mohammed Shami would have been more threatening to Pakistan than Shardul Thakur. You talk about batting depth, but bowling depth matters too”

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are scheduled to open the batting for India. Virat Kohli will be batting at number 3. Shreyas Iyer who has made a comeback after a long injury lay-off will be batting at 4. India went in with Ishan Kishan as the wicketkeeper in place of KL Rahul who is still not fit.

Surya Kumar Yadav did not find a place in the playing XI due to his patchy form in the ODI format. Hardik Pandya and Jadeja will be the focus as far as the middle order is concerned. Jasprit Bumrah is also making a comeback to the side and playing ODI cricket after over one year.

Another notable absence is that of Axar Patel. The 29-year-old has been phenomenal in recent times not only with the ball but also with the bat. Axar has played some crucial knocks with the bat winning games for India. The addition of Axar would have given the Indian team the much-needed depth in batting.

Here’s how the fans reacted –

Sanjay Manjrekar said, "Mohammad Shami would've been more threatening to Pakistan than Shardul Thakur. You talk about batting depth, but bowling depth matters too". pic.twitter.com/p9N3gBsHIU

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 2, 2023

https://twitter.com/doctor_jango/status/1697900334843080928

https://twitter.com/Hustler4CSK/status/1697899932479623620

First time agree with him

— Supriya (@Supriya_pro) September 2, 2023

Indian fans shami kidhar hai pic.twitter.com/7mOClHBZu6

— Pawan Shukla (@Shukla8175) September 2, 2023

We have 6 proper bowlers..Aur kitni bowling depth chahiye?

— The Cricket Statistician (@CricketSatire) September 2, 2023

https://twitter.com/Artful_Minx/status/1697900869302534409

https://twitter.com/EshaSanju15/status/1697901947272286236