On 13th October, BCCI replaced Axar Patel with Shardul Thakur as everyone was eagerly waiting for any such changes in the Indian Squad. There were talks about the possible inclusion of Y.Chahal but the inclusion of Thakur might have to do with the fitness issues over Hardik Pandya’s bowling. In this piece we look at what Thakur brings to the table and how can India utilize him.
Shardul Thakur has been the go-to bowler for MS Dhoni and picked up 18 wickets in the current season. The bowler has been in good form in the UAE Leg taking 13 wickets in 8 matches. He has gone wicketless only in the last match vs Delhi Capitals ( Qualifier 1 ).
Improved Death Bowling: IPL
Though India will have J.Bumrah, one of the best death bowlers at their service, other seam bowlers may be required to bowl at least a few overs in the death. Thakur has improved a lot when it comes to executing at the final stages of the innings. His dot ball percentage has increased from 31.8 in 2019 to 51.3% in 2021. His IPL career dot ball % is 39.1. This year Thakur has read the situation much better. In terms of economy, Thakur was over 11 runs per over in 2018 which have come down to 9.4 this year. Yes, maybe the conditions are helping the bowler but the T20 WC too will be played on the same grounds.
Striking back to back
One brings two, is a common saying in cricket. Thakur has made this is a regular habit. Picking two wickets in one over and changing the flow of the match the bowler has been able to do so 7 times in the 21 innings he has bowled in T2OI. For India, Thakur has an economy of above 9 but if you are taking regular wickets any captain would want you in the team. If a scenario arises where Bumrah is bowling two overs at the depth and one would be bowled by Thakur, there are high chances that batsmen will try to take full advantage of that one over. Thakur’s ability to strike back to back could come very handy in such a case.
Batting
Someone who follows Test cricket will know how impactful innings has Thakur played for India against Australia and England. Three fifties and a strike rate of 77.86 is a clear example of his attacking instinct and also right shot selection. The player has not got enough opportunities with the bat neither in IPL nor in T20I. In the limited five innings for India, Thakur has a strike rate of 197.14. Along with that in the eight innings for India at the ODI level, he strikes at 144.59.
Though the stats are not enough in terms of sample size, Thakur surely has the potential and the shots to score quickly and get those important runs for the team when needed.
Indian Team Balance
Shardul Thakur might not have the pace of Shami, variations like Bumrah or swing like B.Kumar. But he takes those crucial wickets at the crucial stage and also is very capable with the bat as discussed. None of the top-order batsmen for India can chip in with some overs. There was a time when Raina could bowl a few and Yuvraj was probably one of the best you could get. Also, the fact that most of the Indian bowlers are not that good with the bat. Yes, Bumrah and Shami did have a magical partnership in test cricket vs England but the demands in the shortest format of the game are much more. In such a scenario, India will need at least 2 all-rounders in the playing X1. One of them will be Jadeja and Hardik, not bowling means there is a high chance of Thakur being the 3rd seam option.
Conclusion
Shardul Thakur was in the reserves when the initial squad was announced but now it will be Axar Patel who will swap places with him. Replacing a spin bowling all-rounder with a seam-bowling all-rounder might seem a tricky call for some of the fans. The selectors might have looked at the fact that Patel most probably was a like-to-like replacement for Jadeja and the team most probably won’t pick two players of the same skills in the playing XI.
The player is known as “Lord Thakur” on social media and his approach to the game is much appreciated. Indian team and the fans will hope that he continues with his performance with the bowl and whenever needed with the bat too. There is a notion in the cricketing circle that Thakur gets lucky more often and India will want it to be true as it could help them end their ICC title drought.