Shardul Thakur should be considered as an all-rounder and groomed for the 2023 World Cup: Former selector Sarandeep Singh

Sarandeep Singh stated that Shardul Thakur should find a spot in the Indian side on a regular basis in Tests and ODI cricket.

View : 1.3K

3 Min Read

Shardul Thakur
info
Shardul Thakur. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)

Indian cricketer Shardul Thakur played a pivotal role for the Indian side in the 4th Test match against England at the Kennington Oval in London. He scored fifties in both innings of the 4th Test, and also scalped a total of 3 wickets in the match with the red cherry as well.

And, former Indian selector Sarandeep Singh has stated that he is a fan of Shardul Thakur. Adding that he has seen Thakur go through the grind at the first-class level with the ball, Singh stated that the 29-year-old Thakur is a fighter who has a positive attitude.

Sarandeep Singh even said that a player like Thakur should be groomed for the 2023 World Cup, and should be considered as an all-rounder. Adding that the bowling ability of Hardik Pandya is a concern, Singh stated that Thakur should find a spot in the Indian side on a regular basis in Tests and ODI cricket.

“I’ve always been his (Shardul) biggest fan. I’ve seen him come through the grind of bowling 25-30 overs per innings in first-class for Mumbai. Ladaku cricketer hai (he is a fighter), with a positive attitude. Even in India, Shardul should be your second pacer after (Jasprit) Bumrah, as you need an all-rounder.

Start grooming him for the 2023 ODI World Cup. From now on, consider him as an all-rounder. You need a batsman like him at No 7, and he’s a good fielder too. He must consistently feature in the XI in Tests and ODIs, if not the T20Is. I know Hardik is a very good batsman, but his bowling is a concern,” said Sarandeep Singh as quoted by the Times of India.

If Shardul Thakur had played the WTC Final, India would have beaten New Zealand: Sarandeep Singh

Sarandeep Singh also added that one does not know how long the likes of Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will continue playing, and Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj should feature on a regular basis in the Indian bowling attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah.

“You don’t know how long (Mohammed) Shami and Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) will last, so Shardul and (Mohammed) Siraj must now regularly play alongside (Jasprit) Bumrah, as age is with them, and they can be groomed for the future,” said Sarandeep Singh.

Sarandeep Singh even said that if Shardul Thakur had played the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, then the Indian side would have beaten the Kiwis. The 41-year-old reasoned that the conditions that were in place for the WTC Final would have suited Thakur perfectly.

“If he had played in the World Test Championship final, we would have won an ICC trophy for the first time since 2013. His presence in the line-up would’ve given this team a well-deserved ICC title, which is still missing from its cabinet. Those conditions were ideal for his type of bowling, and he would have added depth to our batting,” concluded Sarandeep Singh.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store