3 Potential Replacements For Mohammed Shami If India Pacer Misses England Tests

Mohammed Shami replacements [Source: @_cricketpranav/x.com]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is currently on hold but will start in the upcoming week. However, post that, the focus will shift towards the all-important India Tour of England, set to begin next month. The 5-match Test series will start on June 20 as India aim to start the new WTC cycle with a win.

However, not everything is good with Team India as one of their premium pacer, Mohammed Shami is not at his best and could potentially miss the England tour. As per TOI, he is struggling to finish his run-up and has looked below par in recent IPL games for the Sunrisers.

If Shami is fit, he is a guaranteed starter for the first Test Vs England alongside Jasprit Bumrah, but if he misses out, here are 3 potential replacement for him.

1) Arshdeep Singh

Post Zaheer Khan, India haven't got a quality left-arm seamer in their ranks, but the Punjab pacer, Arshdeep Singh could be his successor in the game's longest format. He is a quality swing bowler and has the knack of troubling both the right and left-handed batters.

Almost all the Indian pacers, who are likely to be in the squad (Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana are right-armers), hence, Team India needs a variety and Arshdeep could provide just that. A solid left-armer is a rare commodity in cricket today, and India have that class and he should be picked if Shami is not fit. 

Moreover, he has the experience of playing in England's County Cricket as he represented Kent and he often cites his experience of playing in those conditions as it made him a better bowler.

2) Prasidh Krishna

English conditions are known for its swing and seam, but with the way England play nowadays (Bazball, aggressive style), the pitches are made tailor-made for batters. If the pitches won't help the pacers, the team needs someone with an X-factor and Prasidh Krishna is the answer to it.

With his height advantage, he can extract extra bounce from the surface to trouble the English batters. Plus, he has a terrific first-class record as well.

(Prasidh Krishna FC stats)

He has an impeccable first-class stats and should be the one for that England flight if Shami is not fit and raring to go.

3) Mukesh Kumar

The closest anyone comes to Shami in terms of ball control and impeccable lines and lengths is Mukesh Kumar. The Bengal seamer has prior experience of playing Test cricket and the last time he played in a SENA nation, Mukesh took 4 wickets in a single game. Shami is known for the perfect seam position which troubles the best in the business.

In domestic circuit, Mukesh has the same reputation and the stats tells the story.

(Mukesh Kumar stats)

He will be a perfect bowler for English conditions and if there is any seam movement available, Mukesh can exploit it.

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