Shardul Thakur may be given preference by the Indian team management over left-arm pace sensation Thangarasu Natarajan in the third Test against Australia in place of injured Umesh Yadav who is ruled out from participating in next 2 Tests.
The final call on who will play between the duo of Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan will be taken by head coach Ravi Shastri, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane and bowling coach Bharathi Arun after reaching Sydney.
Shardul Thakur Might Replace Umesh Yadav As He Has Been A Seasoned Domestic Red Ball Pacer
According to sources, senior pacer Umesh Yadav, who limped off the field after sustaining an injury and had earlier missed the third Test due to a calf muscle tear, is heading home for rehabilitation after being ruled out of the fourth and final Test in Brisbane as well. The third Test begins in Sydney from January 7.
“While people are excited about the brilliant progress shown by T Natarajan, we mustn’t forget he has played only one first class match for Tamil Nadu. And Shardul has been a seasoned domestic red ball pacer for Mumbai,” a BCCI source privy to developments in Australia told PTI on Thursday.
“Shardul was really unfortunate that his Test debut against West Indies ended abruptly due to injury even before he could bowl an over. He has been shaping up well and might replace Umesh in the playing XI,” the source added.
The final call on the 3rd pacer partnering Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be taken through by the head coach Ravi Shastri, stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane and bowling coach Bharathi Arun after reaching Sydney.
Shardul Thakur has so far played 62 first-class games and has 206 wickets to show for his efforts averaging 28.55. He has played 12 ODIs and 17 T20Is besides a solitary Test where he could bowl only 10 balls before sustaining an injury. He seems frontrunner to play the next Test.
Shardul Thakur Is A Decent Batsman Too Which Gives Him Edge Over T Natarajan
Another aspect that India would like to address ahead of the Third Test is their tail-ender batting woes that had affected the team. Shardul Thakur has first-class half-centuries to show with the highest score of 87 and during his stint with the national team in white-ball games, he has proved to be a decent enough batsman in limited opportunities which gives him an edge over other pacers Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan.
“Obviously the next few training sessions will be important and that’s why the final call is likely to be taken in Sydney,” the source said.
As far as pacer Umesh Yadav is concerned, he is expected to head off to National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for an extensive rehabilitation program. The 33-year-old pacer had hobbled off the field after suffering the injury during the third day of the Boxing Day Test which India won. He bowled 3.3 overs picking a wicket in 2nd innings accumulating 4 wickets in 2 Tests.