ALL-ROUND VALUE
Bowling coach says Shardul has proven himself with the bat too
New Delhi, May 12:
India bowling coach Bharat Arun on Wednesday said Shardul Thakur has what it takes to be the fast-bowling allrounder that the team has needed ever since Hardik Pandya’s back injury restricted his role with the ball. Pandya was not included in the Test team for the tour of England as he “was not in a position to bowl”, according to the BCCI.
Arun said that while the selectors will have the last word on finding the next set of options, Thakur has certainly made a case for himself.
“It is more of a selectors’ job to find them and then we can develop those allrounders. Shardul has proved he can be an all rounder. What he did in Australia was fabulous,” Arun said.
Pandya last played Test cricket for India in 2018, during the tour of England. He has been battling a back injury since 2019 and recently, during the IPL, also picked up a shoulder niggle.
Arun agreed that finding someone as good as Pandya would be a very tough job.
“I wish you could just wish and develop bowlers like that. Hardik is an outstanding talent, but unfortunately, he had to undergo a back operation and then it's not very easy to come back after that,” he said.
“He bowled against England, I thought he did a really good job. But, to sustain that we need to manage him well and build on his strength,” he added.
The two-Test old Thakur was mighty impressive in the only longest format game he played in the away series against Australia.