Mohammed Shami to be replaced by Arshdeep Singh in India's XI against New Zealand

 

Arshdeep trained under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Morne Morkel, bowling 13 overs with full run-up while Shami bowled 6-7 overs with a curtailed run-up.

India captain Rohit Sharma is fit and unlikely to be rested from India's last group-stage match against New Zealand on Sunday (March 2) at the Dubai International Stadium but changes are likely in India's XI. Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami is set to be given a breather. He will be replaced by left-arm medium pacer Arshdeep Singh, reported news agency PTI. Shami appeared to be slightly jittery in his first spell during India's last match against Pakistan on February 23. Although the pacer made a strong comeback after receiving treatment on his right leg, the team management is unlikely to push his limits, especially because India will play the semi-final on March 4.

The presence of five left-handed batters in the New Zealand line-up is also another major reason why India want a different angle with Arshdeep bringing the ball back in. If the Friday's practice session was an indication, then the Punjab pacer in all likelihood will replace Shami, who has recently returned to the national fold following a long injury lay-off.

Arshdeep trained under the watchful eyes of bowling coach Morne Morkel, bowling 13 overs with full run-up while Shami only bowled 6-7 overs with a curtailed run-up. He was not bowling full steam.

The body language of the players during the training session on Friday suggested that India are likely to give Shami a much-needed break before all important semi-finals.

While KL Rahul in his interaction with media was not very sure if India would alter the winning combination despite the temptation, assistant coach Ryan Doeschate, later in the evening, hinted that the bowling line-up could be changed a bit.

"We've had two pretty tough training sessions, so that's been the preparation," ten Doeschate said. "In terms of the bench strength, I think the priority is making sure that we have our best guys available and fully fit for the second game [the semi-final on March 4].

But we also don't want to rest them for another two days [India have had a week off]. So to get that balance right, we might just try to share the bowling out a little bit. But we obviously want to win against New Zealand as well. It's important that we keep that momentum going and obviously to top the group as well. So the balance of those two things I just mentioned [is] to be thought about."

Both India and New Zealand have already qualified for the semi-finals but that doesn't the match will be inconsequential as the winner of the match will finish as group toppers, which will determine their opponents in the semi-finals.