‘If India are to win WTC final, he has to step up…’: Ponting on Rohit’s weapon | Cricket

Naming India’s two lead seamers for the World Test Championship (WTC) final is one of the easiest tasks. It’s literally a no-brainer to predict that Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will be India’s frontline pacers for the WTC final against Australia that is set to being on June 7 at The Oval in London. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, needless to say, the seam attack will be led by Shami. Some might even claim that Shami is set to be the spearhead of India’s bowling attack and not only the pace battery considering the match will be played in English conditions where Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin might not be as effective.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting shared similar views when asked about India’s bowling attack for the WTC final. Ponting said Shami has to take his game to a different level and play a lead role if India want to win their first ICC title next week since the Champions Trophy in 2013.

“I think he has to step up or try and take his game to another level if India are going to win this game,” Ponting said to ICC.

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

Shami had Bumrah and Ishant Sharma for company in the last WTC final against New Zealand. This time around, although he will have Siraj, who has emerged as an all-format seamer, the man from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh will have to do the bulk of the damage to dismantle the Australian batting order comprising Travis Head, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne.

In the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Shami performed outstandingly well for Gujarat Titans. He was awarded ‘Purple Cap’ for emerging as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. The veteran seamer took 28 wickets in the season with an economy of 8.03 and an average of 18.64. His best bowling spell was 4/1.

Shami has played just three Test matches in 2023 where he picked nine scalps with an average of 28.22. He had the best bowling figure of 4/60. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home, Shami bowled nearly 70 overs – the most by far by a seamer in the four-match series.

“They know the skillset he’s got and how dangerous he can be. It’s going to have to be him,” Ponting concluded.