Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has raised his concern regarding the form of Shardul Thakur heading into the ODI World Cup on home soil and named experienced Ravichandran Ashwin as a dangerous bowler in the marquee event.
Shardul Thakur had a forgettable outing in the first two games against Australia, as he looked like the only weak link in the Indian bowling lineup. The Mumbai-born fast-bowling all-rounder went wicket-less in both games before being rested for the final ODI in Rajkot. He will now be hoping to make a comeback and regain his form in the two warm-up games before the World Cup.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Robin Uthappa admitted that Shardul Thakur has the knack of picking wickets in the crucial phases of the innings but feels that he leaks a lot of runs in his bowling. He asserted that he might succeed for the squad in the same way that he did for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
“Shardul Thakur could be a concern for Team India. Yes, he picks up wickets and is a high-quality bowler, but he leaks a lot of runs. He can be very expensive. That’s something that he will have to pay attention to.”
“He is someone who is always going to take wickets, but when he doesn’t take wickets, he ends up looking a little expensive. In CSK, we used to fondly call him the golden arm. I am certain that his role will be very similar for the Indian team,” Robin Uthappa said.
Shardul Thakur has been a strike bowler for the Indian team in the ODI format of the game as he has the luck of picking up wickets for the team and has proved his mettle as a batter capable of batting at NO.8 and can be crucial for the team in seam friendly conditions in World Cup.
Ravichandran Ashwin Is A High-quality Player Who Brings Out His Best Performances – Robin Uthappa
Robin Uthappa feels that Indian selectors and the team management have made the right choice by picking up Ravichandran Ashwin in the squad in the absence of Axar Patel. He thinks that Ashwin can be dangerous in Indian conditions and has praised him for his outstanding performance against Australia in the recently concluded ODI series.
“It certainly seems like Ashwin will be the number-one pick if India misses out on Axar Patel. With his experience in India, he is going to be a very dangerous bowler. He got an outside chance and is a high-quality player who brings out his best performances in such situations. From not being selected in the World Cup squad to deceiving batters in the Australia series, Ashwin has done exceptionally well,” Robin Uthappa added.
Ashwin played in two of the three ODIs against Australia and put on a fantastic performance picking crucial wickets in the middle overs and the veteran Tamil Nadu all-rounder is expected to pivotal role for the team in the spin bowling department alongside Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav.
