NEW DELHI: Brett Lee, a legendary fast bowler known for his devastating pace, strongly believes that if Mohammed Shami is unavailable for selection, Mayank Yadav should be included in the Indian squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. Lee has high expectations from the young Indian pace sensation, particularly on the true and bouncy pitches in Australia.
India, who are aiming to secure a spot in their third consecutive World Test Championship (WTC) final, will be traveling to Australia next month to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.However, there are uncertainties surrounding the selection of experienced seamer Mohammed Shami for the five-match Test series.
“I can tell you that batters are okay when you bowl that 135-140 kmph speed, but when you bowl high 150s, I don’t care who it is, no one wants to face that.
“He looks like someone who is a complete package, if Mohammed Shami is not ready, at least get him (Mayank) in the squad. I think he would do pretty well on these Australian wickets,” Lee told Fox Cricket.
Shami’s last appearance was in the ODI World Cup final in November, and despite his recent intense training sessions the Indian captain Rohit Sharma is reluctant to include him in the squad for Australia if he is not fully prepared.
Lee is well-versed in the challenges batsmen face when confronting high-speed deliveries.
Lee said, “The great thing is with me that I get to work on the IPL and see a lot of good young Indian cricketers. Mayank Yadav, to watch his first IPL game recently, hit 157 kmph first up in his first game.
“Unfortunately, his franchise probably brought him a little early and he did his side again.
“They put him in cotton wool for a bit. The great thing about India is that they are not worried about how much cricket someone has played or hasn’t played, if he is ready to go, get him in there. I actually love that theory,” Lee added.
India possess a formidable bowling lineup capable of challenging Australian batsmen on their home turf. Lee recognized the potency of the Indian bowling unit.
“Ashwin is approaching 600 wickets, he has got that beautiful shape when he bowls spin. He can bowl with the new ball as well but I think if India have to win there, then Shami (provided he is fit) can definitely hold the key.
“Jasprit Bumrah, we all know how good he is, he can bowl both ways, he is a great exponent of reverse swing. Mohammed Siraj knows how to make the new ball talk.
“On wickets like Perth, Adelaide, for me it’s the combination, these three fast bowlers with Ashwin as the spinner. Then they have got options with guys like who are part-time spinners. But you need to have those three quicks firing if India wants to win,” Lee said.
‘India don’t want to bow down’
Lee described the Indian team as a “powerhouse that refuses to bow down” to any opponent, issuing a warning to his fellow Australians ahead of their clash with the Asian giants starting on November 22.
His comments followed India’s eight-wicket loss to New Zealand in the Bengaluru Test earlier this week.
“This day and age, India is a powerhouse that don’t want to bow down. They know how to win, and they know they can beat Australia; they know they can beat the Kiwis. They know they can beat anyone on any given day,” Lee said.
Reflecting on India’s performance in the Bengaluru Test against New Zealand, Lee suggested that they might have been influenced by the ‘Bazball’ approach, which led to some loose shot selection.
“India just didn’t go into their shell. Maybe it’s Bazball brushing off on other cricketers around the world,” he noted.
“I know that India won’t be proud of the way they played. They played some pretty loose shots.”
India’s decision to bat first in overcast conditions raised concerns, as the team was dismissed for just 46 in the first innings of the opening Test – their lowest Test score at home.
Lee remarked that the team needs to “weigh up the risk factor” and emphasized that the Indians should have assessed the conditions more carefully.
“But, you’ve got to weigh up the risk factor as well. There are times when you’ve got to go, ‘Okay, well, maybe the big shots aren’t working today’.
“Maybe, just rein it in a little bit. I don’t think they sort of summed up the conditions as quickly as what they should have done,” Lee said.
India play two more Tests against New Zealand — Pune (October 24-28) and Mumbai (November 1-5) — before leaving for Australia.