Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra feels that Shardul Thakur holds the edge over the other pacers to take up the fourth seamer spot in the Indian team given his performance in ODI cricket over the last few games. The 31-year-old has done well for Men in Blue in the limited opportunities in the 50-over format.
Shardul Thakur has been a strike bowler for the Indian team across the format as he has the luck of picking up wickets for the team and has proved his mettle as a batter capable of taking on bowlers and scoring runs. He has played crucial knocks with the bat across formats and can be a crucial player going into the Asia Cup and ODI World Cup.
Speaking on his youtube channel, Aakash Chopra feels that he would be the fourth pacer in the team alongside primary pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami in the team and believes that he has got the knack of picking wickets in the middle overs and said that he would be part of the team for the World Cup in India
“That is what it seems like as of now. He has picked up a lot of wickets. Bumrah, Siraj, Shami, and Shardul Thakur – I feel these four fast bowlers will be a part of India’s 15 in the World Cup,” he said.
“Shardul gives you a little batting and he is also a wicket-taker. He might bowl full, short, or wide, but whatever he bowls, he picks up wickets. We all bow down to Lord Thakur. There are extremely bright chances of Lord being in my team,” Aakash Chopra said.
The Mumbai all-rounder has picked up 58 wickets in the 38 ODIs he has played to date. He has scored 315 runs in these games, including an unbeaten half-century against South Africa, and would look to continue his form going forward for India.
Nothing Happens Without Purpose – Aakash Chopra On India’s Strategies In T20 Series
Aakash Chopra feels that the Indian team management has purposely gone without NO.8 batter for the T20 series against the West Indies as they have opted to rest Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur for the series, with Deepak Chahar and Washington Sundar being not selected for the series.
“It looks like it was on purpose. Nothing happens without purpose. I feel it’s a case of oversight, that you didn’t keep either Ravindra Jadeja or Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar was probably unavailable and you didn’t think about Washington Sundar,” Aakash Chopra added.
The Men in Blue have gone with five proper bowlers in the team for the T20 series against the Men in Maroon, as they have long tail-enders in the team, as the team lacks depth in the batting which is also a reason behind, India trailing the series 2-1 in Caribbean soil.