Manchester: Team India's decision to drop Mohammed Shami for the crucial semi-final encounter against New Zealand at the Old Trafford yesterday took his coach Badruddin Siddique by surprise.

With 14 wickets in the four games he played in the World Cup so far, it was thought that the decision to keep him out of the playing XI for last group stage game against Sri Lanka was an attempt to keep the bowler fresh for the knockout stages. But that wasn't to be.