India Predicted XI vs New Zealand: Mohammed Shami and Suryakumar Yadav to get a chance?

Will we finally see Mohammed Shami get a game in World Cup 2023? And is Suryakumar Yadav set to make his World Cup debut? We will get the answers to these questions soon as India take on 2019 finalists New Zealand on Sunday at Dharamsala. Ideally, India wouldn’t have wanted to make a change for the crucial match as they look to maintain their winning streak, but the ankle injury to Hardik Pandya has forced their hands.

World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table

Pandya injured his ankle in the Bangladesh match and is set to miss the Sunday encounter. The seam bowling all-rounded provided the perfect balance to Team India and while they still have Shardul Thakur in their ranks, the Mumbaikar’s bowling skills are not the same as Pandya’s. This could see India bring in another specialist bowler. Now it could be Ravichandran Ashwin who is a specialist off-spinner and also possesses batting skills. With Ashwin and Shardul in the side, India will continue to have six bowling options and a long batting order. But can India rely on Shardul and Ashwin to complete the job of finishing if called upon? Hardik is a better batter than Shardul or Ashwin and in such a scenario, it seems like it will be Suryakumar Yadav or Ishan Kishan who would come into the playing XI as a replacement for Pandya.

Coach Rahul Dravid spoke about Surykumar being a perfect fit for the lower middle order and it is seen as an indication that it could be SKY and not Kishan who will play against New Zealand.

“And plus, the role may be for a middle-over role – so we will just have to see which one we want to – we are pretty clear about the kind of roles that people can play. So, if you are looking for someone who might be a bit of an enforcer for us in the lower middle order, then Surya is certainly someone who can do that,” Dravid said on Saturday.

The bad news however is that SKY was hit on his right wrist by a throwdown during the nets on Saturday. He did not bat again and walked off the field after receiving treatment. If SKY is still not fit then Kishan could play, however, it should be added that even the left-hander was bitten by a honey bee during the training session.

In case none of them are fit then India could stick with Shardul and this will only become clear at the toss.

Coming back to Ashwin. With Pandya missing, India need to strengthen their bowling and they could drop Shardul and bring in Ashwin or Mohammed Shami. While Ashwin provides batting skills, Shami is a genuine pacer who may be the best fit for seaming conditions in Dharamsala. Also, if a batter in Surykuar or Kishan is added to the squad, India might just look to take the risk with Shami instead of playing all-rounder Ashwin.

India’s predicted XI for New Zealand game: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Surykumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

New Zealand predicted XI: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c and wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult