‘He gets very limited credit…’: Ex-India opener’s mammoth claim on 31-year-old star after 2-1 win over West Indies
India completed a series victory over the West Indies in Tarouba, Trinidad, putting on a big first innings score of 351 before the bowlers completed a huge 200-run victory over the hosts. It was an important result to seal the series and give players in the Indian group confidence heading into the Asia Cup, and also test out the form of some players with important selection decisions needing to be made.
Team India players in action during the 3rd and final ODI of the series vs West Indies(AFP)
One such decision revolves around the role of Shardul Thakur, and whether he will be a frontline pace-bowling option for the Indian team in subcontinental conditions. A wicket-taker and useful lower-order batter, Shardul will likely contend for the number 8 spot in the lineup with Axar Patel. However, while Axar only got one match in the series, during the second ODI loss, Shardul played all three matches and was highly impressive as the most experienced pacer in the group.
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Aakash Chopra, speaking on JioCinema, spoke about how well Shardul had performed throughout the series. He took 3 wickets in the second Test in Bridgetown, and started with a 4-38 innings in the decisive third match, ending the series with 8 wickets and the leading wicket-taker. However, while Shardul has always been a bowler capable of taking important wickets with his variations, he often faces criticism for being expensive and very insipid when he’s not in form.
“In the previous match itself, Shardul took three wickets. He gets very limited credit for the way he bowls. I am trying to figure out how he takes so many wickets and why he is expensive, both things going hand-in-hand,” Chopra said.
While Thakur has recently been used as a middle-overs bowler in white ball cricket, he had a tendency to get hit in the death, even if he was capable of taking wickets. Since the 2019 World Cup, he has 48 wickets in 32 games, leading India, and Chopra argues that his slightly uneconomical figures should be a risk India are willing to take in exchange for the game-changing breakthroughs Shardul can provide.
“If you are taking three wickets, the economy shouldn’t be much to worry about because 300 is going to be there as a target. He doesn’t give more than 6 runs per over, must be 6.1-6.2. The number of balls he bowls, the chances of him getting a wicket are very bright,” said Chopra. Over his career, Shardul does sit at an economy of 6.17, but his average of just under 30 is of slight concern. However, his strike-rate is at 28, indicating he is good for two wickets a game of he bowls out his quota.
Chopra elaborated by pointing out that Shardul derives his wicket from prompting or forcing batters to take risks, and often enough has the skill to deceive them and make them pay for small errors and the courage in his bowling to place himself in those positions where he can be effective. Famous for his ability to spark wickets in unlikely situations, Chopra said of the pacer: “We say it’s wicket-taking luck, but if you closely observe Shardul, the reason why he has the wicket-taking luck is because he bowls in those areas and he has a lot of belief.”
“If you ever ask him how good are you? He would answer: “equal to Dennis Lillee!”. That’s the confidence he has, and I love him for that,” concluded the former Indian opener.
Shardul has missed out on being selected for the 5-match T20I series in the West Indies and Florida, but his strong performances in the Caribbean could be rewarded with a spot in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka and Pakistan later this month. With question marks over India’s pace attack for the World Cup, a strong performance in the Asia Cup could see Shardul seal his place as that all-important number 8 in the team.