'Run feast for India if Shamsi bowls in T20 WC final'

India's batting prowess against spin is raising questions about South Africa's bowling attack for the T20 World Cup final.

Former cricketer Robin Uthappa believes Tabraiz Shamsi, a left-arm chinaman bowler, could be a liability on the batting-friendly Barbados pitch.

Uthappa, on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel, highlighted how Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav have dominated spin bowling throughout the tournament. He argued that even if Shamsi takes wickets, the runs conceded might negate the gains.

"I'd be happy to see Shamsi play," Uthappa said. "He might take wickets, but he'll also leak runs. With India's current batting form, those runs won't matter much."

Ashwin echoed Uthappa's sentiment, suggesting Shamsi's bowling style might be easier for the Indian batsmen to score against compared to the quicker deliveries of pacer Ottniel Baartman.

South Africa now faces a tough decision: Stick with the wicket-taking threat of Shamsi or opt for the tighter bowling of Baartman to restrict runs.

• T20 World Cup