‘He’s definitely in our plans’ – Virat Kohli hints at Shardul Thakur’s selection for India’s clash against New Zealand

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has hinted at Shardul Thakur’s selection for the match against New Zealand on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Thakur wasn’t a part of India’s T20 World Cup squad initially, but later replaced all-rounder Axar Patel. The speedster was impressive for the Chennai Super Kings, who went on bag their fourth Indian Premier League title earlier this month.

As far as the World Cup is concerned, India have felt the absence of a sixth bowling option. Hardik Pandya not bowling of late has also given the Men in Blue plenty of headaches. On Sunday, October 24, Babar Azam’s Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets as Kohli and Co. couldn’t make a single breakthrough.

Although he didn’t give any confirmation on Shardul’s selection, the 32-year-old Virat lauded him as someone, who brings in a lot of utility.

Shardul is someone who’s got great potential, says Virat Kohli

“He’s (Shardul) definitely a guy who’s in our plans, constantly making a case of for himself. He is definitely someone who can bring a lot of value to the team,” Kohli was quoted as saying before the match.

“What role he plays or where he fits in, that’s something that I cannot obviously talk about right now. But yes, Shardul is someone who’s got great potential and he will add great value to the team,” he stated.

While highlighting the importance of a sixth bowling option, Kohli also mentioned that Hardik needs to attain the desired fitness before he can bowl.

“It’s very important to have a sixth bowling option — whether through me or Hardik (Pandya). He should have to be fit to be able to bowl one or two overs,” he stated. On Wednesday, Hardik was seen bowling in the nets in Dubai.

“Game situation dictates when to use your sixth bowling option. In our last match, if they (Pakistan) batted first, I could also have bowled one or two overs.  But in the second innings when we needed wickets, we just had to bowl our primary bowlers,” Kohli added.

Recently, veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik said that India should pick Thakur for the game against the Kiwis in place of either Mohammed Shami or Bhuvneshwar Kumar.