Former all-rounder Tom Moody said that giving the new ball to Mohammed Shami instead of Mohammed Siraj was not the right decision by Rohit Sharma.
Shami was used as a one-change bowler till the semi-final, but the skipper decided to go with Jasprit Bumrah and Shami in the final. The Bengal pacer failed to control the swing and conceded 47 runs in 7 overs at an economy rate of 6.70 as Australia completed the chase of 241 runs convincingly.
“He didn’t have the control of the swing. Mohammed Siraj was the new ball pacer for the last year and has done a good job,” Tom Moody said on ESPNcricinfo. “That decison was not given a proper thought,” he added.
Siraj also had a dismal outing as he ended up with the figures of 1/45 from his seven overs.
Former Indian skipper Anil Kumble also expressed the same opinion. “Siraj needs the new ball to make an impact. Whereas Shami can take wickets in all the phases.”