While the rest of the Indian questions played more than 20 Overs each, Shardul Thakur was only given 6 overs in the corner vs ind 1st test
India cricket team captain Shubman Gill’s move to include Shardul Thakur in the playing XI but not give him overs to bowl is simply baffling. The all-rounder returned to the Test setup after a gap of over a year, with consistent performances in domestic cricket paving way for his comeback. However, Thakur was underutilized by Gill in the 1st innings, leading to several cricketers asking why Shardul was included in the playing XI in the first place.
What was the point of having Shardul in playing XI?
Shardul bowled only six overs in the 1st innings while the rest of the bowlers – Bumrah, Siaj, Prasidh and Jadeja – bowled over 20 overs each. Gill never seemed to trust Thakur and instead opted to keep giving the ball to other bowlers. On a couple of occasions, the all-rounder was seen marking his run-up only for the ball to be thrown to Bumrah.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra wondered why Thakur was included in the side in the first place if the captain did not have faith in him.
“I am thinking about Shardul Thakur’s utilization. They have selected him, but haven’t shown faith in him. Of course, he bowled a few overs and was very expensive, but then you didn’t bowl him at all for long spells. All bowlers bowled 20-plus overs, but Shardul Thakur was in single digits. Why did you play him if you don’t have faith in him ,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
It is pertinent to point out that Thakur has prior experience of bowling in England, having played a couple of series there in the past. He has 10 wickets from 5 Tests in the UK and has bowled over 100 overs.
Instead of playing Thakur, India could have easily picked up another specialist batter or bowler in his place. The likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy or Dhruv Jurel would have strengthened India’s batting line-up. Shardul managed to score only 1 run with the bat in the 1st innings when he came out to bat at number 8.
Else, India could have played a specialist bowler in the form of Arshdeep Singh or Kuldeep Yadav instead.
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