A seasoned seamer, the all-rounder's ability to strike at different stages of the game makes him a good choice for the ODI World Cup in October-November
When India last toured the West Indies in July 2022, the focus of the team management was mainly on sharpening the game of their players in preparation for the T20 World Cup. One-day cricket was left for the second-choice players for most of the season.
Shardul Thakur prepares to bowl during the 2nd ODI cricket match between West Indies and India (AFP)
It helped the likes of Shardul Thakur to get a lot of 50-over games. And he has benefitted. In that three-match series which was played at the Queens Park Oval, Trinidad, Thakur’s bowling stood out. He was the joint highest wicket-taker with seven scalps in three games at an economy rate of 6.25.
Then, with the leading bowlers again rested in the Zimbabwe ODI series, held in August 2022, Thakur again made the most of it with four wickets in two ODIs. He finished the year on a high with a good showing in Bangladesh, claiming three wickets in the third ODI at Chittagong. With regular opportunities, the Mumbai bowler has simply kept getting better at the format. His understanding of match situations too is improving.
West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are considered weaker oppositions, but with the confidence gained Thakur started 2023 with an impressive showing at home against the seasoned New Zealand side when he delivered in tough situations.
In the third ODI against the Kiwis at Indore in January, he was named Player-of-the-Match for figures of 3/45 and 25 runs as India won by 90 runs. It wasn't the first time in the series that Thakur had come to the team's rescue with the ball. In the first ODI at Hyderabad, with New Zealand needing 13 off five balls, Thakur came on to bowl the final over and produced an accurate yorker to win the match for his team.
WORLD CUP HOPES
As the competition for the upcoming 50-over World Cup hots up, Thakur is making experience count by continuing with his impressive one-day performances in the West Indies. In India's disappointing showing in the second ODI on Saturday, he was one of the bright spots with a three-wicket haul.
In the embarrassing six-wicket defeat at Bridgetown, more than the batting collapse – skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested -- the innocuous bowling display was disappointing. The pitch was gripping and offered bounce as seen from the West Indies pace bowling performance in dismissing India for 181.
The bowlers had no excuse. Hardik Pandya, leading the side, returned figures of 6.4-0-38-0, Mukesh Kumar’s spell read 3-0-17-0 and the wayward Umran Malik was taken for 27 runs in three overs. Thakur was the only one to put up a fight. His experience came to the fore during a performance of 8-0-42-3 which saw the hosts collapse from 53 without loss in the ninth over to 91/4 in 17 overs. But the rest were ineffective as skipper Shai Hope (63*) put on a 91-run unbeaten stand with Keacy Carty (48*) to seal victory.
This is a series where coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma are looking at all options for the World Cup. One of the areas they were keen to check was bowlers who will do the job in the middle overs with the older ball. Umran with his extra speed was one option they were keen on, but the spark has been missing in his bowling since IPL. It improves Thakur's chances for the final seamer’s slot in the Cup squad.
Thakur has a knack of proving crucial breakthroughs with his ability to surprise the batters. It is when their guard is down that he strikes. He has quite a few weapons in his armoury which he uses cleverly – a sharp bouncer, change of pace or an accurate yorker. It is just that sustained pressure is his issue as he can be a bit expensive with a tendency to gift boundary balls.
Prasidh Krishna is the other option for the final seamer’s slot. The Indian think-tank will also be keenly following Krishna’s return from injury for the Ireland T20 series.
USEFUL BATTER
Thakur can be a back-up for all-rounder Hardik Pandya too. Having played impressive cameos in Test cricket, he is showing proof of adapting to the tempo of ODI cricket. During India’s batting collapse in Saturday’s game, Thakur chipped in with a useful 16 off 22 balls. His fight took India past the 150-run mark. In the third ODI against New Zealand also, besides striking three crucial blows, Thakur was also involved in a crucial 54-run partnership with Hardik Pandya, scoring 25 off 17 balls, hitting three fours and a six.
With the tournament held in India on pitches where spin rules, Thakur won’t be an automatic choice, but he could come in the reckoning on certain venues like his home ground, Wankhede Stadium, where the pitch offers bounce.
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