Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the former Indian chief selector, criticised the Indian team management for including all-rounder Shardul Thakur in the 15-member squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. Srikkanth pointed out that Thakur has not delivered any noteworthy performances for the Indian cricket team in recent times.
Shardul Thakur has established himself as a key player for the Indian ODI cricket team. He has a knack for picking up wickets and has also proven his worth as a capable lower-order batter. The team management has put faith in the Mumbai all-rounder, as evident by his selection ahead of Mohammad Shami for the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan.
During a discussion on Star Sports about the selection of Shardul Thakur for the ODI World Cup squad, former Indian opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth and former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar had differing views. The conversation went as follows:
Srikkanth: Is Shardul Thakur a complete batsman?
Bangar: In Test cricket, yes.
Srikkanth: I’m talking about ODI cricket. Is he an all-rounder?
Bangar: Yes he is.
Srikkanth: How is he an all-rounder? After the T20 World Cup, his only big score was 25.
Bangar: His bowling is good.
Srikkanth: How is his bowling good? In his career, how many times has he bowled for a full 10 overs?
According to Srikkanth, Shardul Thakur has not had a significant impact while batting at No. 8 for the Indian team. He believes that Thakur is incomplete in both batting and bowling and has raised questions regarding his ability to perform against top teams like Australia and New Zealand.
“Everyone is saying we need a batter at No. 8…who needs a batter at No. 8? Shardul Thakur is only scoring 10 there and he doesn’t even bowl for 10 overs. In the match against Nepal, how many overs did he bowl? 4 only. See, don’t see performances against sides like West Indies or Zimbabwe.
“Yes if he performs well, then keep that in the back of your mind, but don’t give importance to that. Instead stress on performances against teams like Australia or New Zealand. That is why I say, don’t get fooled by overall averages, always look at individual matches,” Krishnamachari Srikkanth said.
During the opening game against Pakistan, Shardul Thakur was unable to make a significant contribution to the team with the bat, as he was dismissed cheaply for just three runs. In the game against Nepal, the all-rounder only bowled four overs from his quota, managing to pick up the wicket of Kushal Bhurtel.
Look At The 2011 World Cup Squad. Shall I Say Who Were The Reserves? – Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth recalled the Indian reserve players in the 2011 World Cup-winning squad. The team rotated players throughout the tournament to keep key players fit while highlighting the quality of players warming the bench.
“Look at the 2011 World Cup squad. Shall I say who were the reserves? There were two spinners – R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla and one medium pacer in Munaf Patel, along with one batter in Yusuf Pathan.”
India will be looking to end their long-awaited ICC title drought on home soil after winning the Champions Trophy in 2013, as they failed to cross the knockout stages in the 2016 and 2022 T20 World Cup, 2019 ODI World Cup, and 2021 and 2023 WTC final respectively. It seems that the Indian team has struggled to deal with the pressure during the critical moments of these games, which has led to their downfall.