The centerpiece of T20 will be held in Australia in October-November.
Spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and death specialist Harshal were back as the national selection committee created no surprises in the Indian squad.
Speaking on Star Sports program ‘FOLLOW THE BLUES’ after the squad announcement, the former selection committee chairman said: “If I was the selection committee chairman, Shami is definitely on the team.
“We play in Australia, the guy has the real action, the guy has the rebound, he can handle the moment and he can get into the first wickets, so I probably would have had Shami instead of Harshal Patel.”
Srikkanth, a dashing fly-half during his playing days, added: “Yes, Harshal Patel is a good bowler, there’s no doubt about it, but Mohammad Shami is the right guy.
“I mean they can’t say the pattern of things, he’s only for test cricket or one day cricket but we’re playing in Australia. This guy did well last IPL so Shami is the must of my team.”
India will play their first game against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 23.
Bumrah, who suffered from a back injury and Harshal, who suffered from lateral strain, had undergone an intense rehabilitation program at the National Cricket Academy and the BCCI medical team deemed them fit for the marquee tournament.
The two players who missed out on the World Cup spot were pacer Avesh Khan and leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was edged out by senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
