'He leaks lot of runs': Robin Uthappa sparks critical debate on World Cup-bound India star
Robin Uthappa opined that the Team India star could be a concern for Rohit Sharma and Co. at the ICC World Cup.
With India taking an unassailable 2-0 lead over Australia in their final One Day International (ODI) assignment before the ICC World Cup 2023, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that the hosts will be making wholesome changes to their playing XI on Wednesday. Ravichandran Ashwin, who was roped in as the like-for-like replacement for an injured Axar Patel, made way for all-rounder Washington Sundar.
India also rested an in-form Shubman Gill, who slammed a match-winning century against Australia in the series decider at Indore. Fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur featured in the first two games of the three-match series. However, the pace-bowling duo was not available for selection as Shardul, Shami and vice-captain Hardik Pandya opted to go back to their respective homes ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Pacer Shami is still the leading wicket-taker for India in the series with 6 wickets to his name. The Indian pacer was also the match-winner for the Rohit-less side in the first ODI. Speedster Shardul bowled 10 overs and went wicketless in the series opener. Shardul also struggled to open his account in the 2nd ODI. The fast-bowling all-rounder only bowled four overs and leaked 35 runs in the second encounter of the three-match series.
'Shardul Thakur could be a concern for Team India'
Sharing his views on YouTube amid the Australia series, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa questioned Shardul's form in the lead-up to the World Cup. According to the ex-India batter, Shardul is a concern for Team India at the ICC World Cup. “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,” Uthappa said.
"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," he added. All-rounder Shardul has picked up 63 wickets for India in 44 ODIs. The 31-year-old made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka at the R.Premadasa Stadium in 2017.
