Shardul Thakur has gradually emerged out as one of the standout all-rounders of the Indian cricket team. There always has been a dearth of all-rounders in India and Shardul Thakur is among the rare crop of all-rounders who has played well for India, on a consistent basis.
As the World Test Championship (WTC) finals looms over our attention, India will be thinking about their best possible playing XI. And Shardul Thakur’s inclusion can be a big bonus for the Indian cricket team.
The all-rounder has so far played 35 ODIs, 25 T20Is and 8 Test matches for India and has considerable experience in the national team. He gels well with the other players and his inclusion could prove to be a decisive factor in the WTC finals.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why Shardul Thakur can be an X-factor player for India in the WTC finals:
1. Shardul Thakur is a genuine all-rounder
Over the years, we have seen several instances of Shardul Thakur emerging out as a fantastic batter. And his bowling needs no introduction at all. Shardul Thakur’s all-round prowess is a major plus point and he can be roped in as the 4th bowler for Team India.
India will then have more balance in their team in the WTC finals. In case of a batting collapse, Shardul Thakur can hold fort from one end and steer India to a bigger total.
2. He is good swing bowler
As we all know that the English conditions favour swing and seam and Shardul Thakur’s strength lies exactly on those realms. Thakur can be a good addition to the fast-bowling armoury of India in the WTC finals.
Thakur can bowl in the middle overs or can also open the bowling attack for the Indian cricket team versus the Australians.
3. Thakur is known to be the man with the “Golden Arm”
Whenever a captain needs wickets, they call upon Shardul Thakur. Over the years, the 31-year-old all-rounder has earned a good reputation for himself. He can pick wickets during crunch moments and break some solid partnerships.
This could well be another reason as to why Shardul Thakur can be an X-factor player for India in the upcoming WTC finals versus Australia. One of India’s achilleas heels in Test matches has been the inability to break partnerships of lower-order batters.
And Shardul Thakur could be the perfect bowler to execute that for the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team.
Also read: WTC 2023: 3 Reasons Why Mohammad Siraj Can Have A Good Game
