Mohammed Shami is an ideal replacement for Jasprit Bumrah: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar. Bumrah, who is out for an indefinite period of time due to a stress fracture on his back, was replaced in the main squad by Shami, who hasn't played a single T20I match since the last edition of World Cup in the UAE. However, the crafty 32-year-old from Amroha dispelled all doubts about his fitness with a splendid three-wicket burst in the 20th over, ensuring India's six-run win over Australia in a warm-up game in Birsbane on Monday.

"Bumrah not being there is a big loss and we obviously needed a strike bowler. An out and out genuine fast bowler, who could attack batters and get wickets. Shami has proven that and he seems a good replacement," Tendulkar told PTI in an exclusive interview.

The maestro seemed very impressed with young left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who has shown a lot of heart in his short international career so far. "Arshdeep has shown a lot of promise and he looks a balanced guy. And whatever I have seen of him, he looks a committed fellow because you can see a player, you can make out looking at his mindset," the legendary batter said.

For Tendulkar, committing to a specific plan is as important as devising one. "What I really like is that if Arshdeep has a plan, he commits to it and that is really, really important in this format as batters are going out and playing those extra shots and some innovative ones. So if you have a plan, commit to it." On bigger Australian grounds, difficult to hit against the spinIndia will be playing at the MCG, SCG, Adelaide and Perth (Optus Stadium) -- grounds with bigger side boundaries.