India allrounder Shardul Thakur is currently sidelined with an ankle injury. He sustained an ankle injury during the tour of South Africa that concluded earlier this month.
Shardul Thakur played in the first Test and failed to impress. With the bat, he registered scores of 24 and 2 and managed to take just one wicket while conceding 101 runs as India suffered an innings defeat in Centurion. Just after the Test, he also copped a painful blow on his shoulder while batting in the nets and was seen sporting an ice pack sling.
He did not play in the second Test and was not picked for the ongoing series against England as well as he headed to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for his rehab programme. And as he continues his recovery, Mumbai is awaiting the green signal from the NCA for his return to action.
Shardul Thakur can play in Ranji Trophy 2024:
Mumbai wanted Shardul Thakur to play in the Ranji Trophy clash against Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram from January 19 onwards. However, the NCA did not give him the required Return to Play (RTP) clearance to play the game. And while Mumbai would have hoped that things would improve soon, Shardul Thakur is yet to get the permission from the NCA.
“Shardul Thakur had some issue in his ankle and he was advised two-week rest by the National Cricket Academy. He was in Bengaluru for further assessment and future course of action and is likely to be available for selection soon,” Mumbai chief selector Raju Kulkarni said.
“We are still waiting for NCA’s Return to Play (RTP) report on Shardul Thakur. We need to follow the procedure and the moment the report comes, we will have clearance to pick him up for the Ranji Trophy. For now, we have made the necessary provisions and will pick him up only when the report comes from the NCA. We are hopeful to get the RTP before our sixth round game,” Kulkarni added
Mumbai’s next game is against Bengal, scheduled to begin on February 2. Shardul Thakur has been ruled out of this game. However, he could be in contention to play his first Ranji Trophy match this season when Mumbai take on Chhattisgarh in their sixth round game from February 9.
Mumbai have made a solid start to their campaign in the Ranji Trophy. They won their first three games before losing to Uttar Pradesh in their last game. They will be hoping to get back to winning ways against Bengal who started with three draws in a row before beating Assam in their last game.
