T20I: X, ODI: X, Test: X. It could be the end of road for Shardul Thakur. Having been dropped from the Playing XI in ODIs and axed from T20Is, Shardul Thakur has now been dropped from Test Playing XI. But unlike the ODIs, a specialist pacer has replaced him in the India Playing XI for SA vs IND 2nd Test. That begs the question: Is it the end of the road for Shardul Thakur?
The bowling all-rounder had a rapid rise in Test in overseas conditions due to his efforts with the bat at No 8. With Hardik Pandya not playing Tests, it was an opportunity for Shardul Thakur to cement his place. And to his credit, he did shine on occasions.
He scored half-centuries in difficult situations to rescue India and was the go-to man for breaking partnerships. However, his inconsistency with both the bat and the ball has cost him.
During the World Cup, India opted to play him instead of Mohammed Shami to have batting depth. But it did not work out. He got just two wickets in three games but more importantly, he conceded runs at an economy rate of 6.00.
With the bat, he scored single digits in 11 innings since the South Africa series in 2021-22. And that ended his stint in the ODI team as well. He was already dropped from the T20I squad.
Time’s up in Tests?
With India taking on England in the five-match Test series at home, Rohit Sharma would prefer two spinners and three seamers. And Shardul Thakur will not find a place.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami will be the three frontline seamers while Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna would be backups. Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel will be the four spinners. That leaves no spot available for Shardul Thakur.
As India will play T20Is and Tests mostly in 2024 until the Australia tour, Shardul is in a difficult spot in his career. To make it to the squad for the Australia tour, Shardul needs some good shows in domestic cricket and IPL 2024 to earn a recall.
