Shardul Thakur’s 7/61 were the best returns for any Asian bowler in South Africa. Thakur picked up his first five-wicket haul and helped India to restrict South Africa’s lead to only 27 runs. The all-rounder has made an impact with both bat and ball at some crucial stages for India, and all of them have come away from home. In this piece, we look at his Test career so far and analyze his contribution to India’s recent success.
Ten balls into his debut Test match vs West Indies, Thakur suffered a groin injury and then was never a part of the Test team for two years. Due to Covid and multiple injury concerns in the Indian camp, Thakur got a second chance at red-ball cricket in the 4th Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. India breached the Gabba fortress and won that match. Thakur picked up seven wickets along with scoring a crucial 67 with the bat in the first innings of the match.
Bowling
India has one of the best pace bowling units in Test cricket right now. Being the fourth seam-bowling option of this team isn’t easy. One may never get a long spell or will be in action when the main bowlers need some rest during a big partnership. Well, Thakur has been known for breaking partnerships and picking up the most important wicket of the opposition.
England chasing some 360 runs in the final innings of the 4th Test, Thakur managed to break the 100-run opening stand and then came back later to pick up Joe Root, who was batting like a machine in 2021. He only picked two wickets in that innings, but both were crucial in terms of the stage of the match and the batters he dismissed.
Out of his 24 Test wickets, 25% of them have been when the batter has crossed the 50-run mark, and 40% have been when they have been between 20 and 39. You can survive the testing spells of Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Shami, but with this Indian team, you will still face the likes of Thakur, who would be relentless and make you commit a mistake.
Batting
Since 2021, Thakur has had the most half-centuries for batters batting at eight or lower. His three 50’s have all come in a situation when India needed it the most. He also has the best strike rate for a batter who has more than five innings at that position. More importantly, his runs have come in away conditions, and his attacking approach breaks the momentum of the game, which helps India in putting up crucial runs.
In the 4th Test in England last year, with India at 127-7, Thakur played a counter-attacking inning of 57(36) and helped India post 191. He got out when the score was 190, and the last two wickets could add only one run, which should put some perspective into the importance of Thakur’s knock.
Conclusion
A Bollywood sports movie called ‘’83’’ is currently in the theatres and is all about India’s 1983 World Cup victory led by Kapil Dev. India has been searching for another pace-bowling all-rounder for a long time, but to no avail. Five years back, India thought it could be Hardik Pandya, but his recent injuries have created problems for India in terms of the balance of the team.
Thakur till now has done well with the bat and ball. He might not be your Ben Stokes or Andre Russell, but he has been successful at the role given to him by the team management. It looks like the role is to score crucial runs and pick up crucial wickets when India needs them the most. India should not look to convert him into anything else, his role in the team should not change. The player gives his hundred percent on the field, and role clarity has helped him perform exceptionally.