Submitted by Amith Chakrapani on Fri, 06/02/2023 - 11:49

Ricky Ponting feels Mohammed Shami will need to “step up” for India to have a shot at winning the WTC Final

02 Jun, 2023
Editor
Ricky Ponting feels Mohammed Shami will need to “step up” for India to have a shot at winning the WTC Final
02 Jun, 2023 By Editor

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting recently suggested that if the Indian cricket team is to push for a win from the World Test Championship (WTC) Final, ace quick Mohammed Shami will need to be at the top of his game. 

It’s no secret that the conditions at The Oval in England, where India and Australia will square off for the grand final from June 7th, will offer a lot of assistance for the seamers. And in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence due to injury, Shami will have a huge role to play in challenging the mighty Australian batting unit. 

Speaking to ICC in a recent chat, Ponting explained how Shami’s skills have been well documented in the past, and he’ll need to bring something new to the table and stifle the Australians.

Ponting said, “Mohammed Shami has to step up or try to take his game to another level if India are going to win this game.”

He added, “When you talk to the Australian batters as well, they understand how good Shami is, whether it’s the new ball or old ball, whether it’s in Australia or India.”

Shami was in decent form during the 2021-23 WTC cycle, having picked up 41 wickets from 12 matches, including a best performance of 5/44. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that concluded in January this year, Shami was also the best pacer on display with nine wickets from three matches and add to that his recent feat of finishing as the Purple Cap winner from IPL 2023, Indian cricket fans will be hoping that he brings his best to the fore.

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