IND vs SL: He Is An Extremely Underrated Bowler - Sanjay Bangar Believes Shardul Thakur Will Play Most Matches In WC

Former Indian batting coach lavished rich praise on Shardul Thakur for his performances in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. He believes that fast bowler always performs but goes under the radar because of the other names in the Indian bowling attack.

Shardul Thakur has proved to be the man with a golden arm for India. He is one of the match-winners for India and either by hook or by crook he manages to provide his team with breakthroughs. His uncanny nag to make things happen when nothing is happening sets him apart.

Shardul Thakur has been included in the Indian team for the ICC World Cup 2023. However, in the build-up of the tournament, in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, he has been a great asset for the team and has put his team at the top in many situations when the Men in Blue were under pressure.

Shardul Thakur so far has played 5 games and has picked 5 wickets. He has been a great support to two front-line pacers in the team. His ability to chip in with the ball as well as bat has even kept someone like Mohammed Shami on the bench, which speaks about what he brings to the table.

Sanjay Bangar feels that Shardul Thakur is extremely underrated and has contributed equally well for the team in all three formats. He highlighted that the pacer has been a regular feature in the Indian XI and has a lot of importance as an all-rounder.

Speaking to Star Sports, he explained: “He is an extremely underrated bowler. The achievements he has in the last two or three years, whether it is Test cricket or ODI cricket, he is a wicket-taker and goes slightly under the radar because the Indian bowling is so fantastic.”

“Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and a bowler like Prasidh Krishna are spoken about but he is a player who has been with the Indian team for a long time. He has a lot of importance as an all-rounder and the reason for Rohit giving him the new ball is that he will probably play most of the matches in the World Cup.”

IND vs SL: The self-confidence he has in his abilities is unquestionable – Ravi Shastri on Shardul Thakur

Ravi Shastri, who was also part of the discussion, hailed Shardul Thakur’s self-confidence and said that the bowling all-rounder brings positive energy to the team.

He explained: “The self-confidence he has in his abilities is unquestionable. If you go and tell him that he did well, he would half the time say that he knew it beforehand. He will suddenly bowl a slower one and the batter will edge it. He has confidence in his bowling and his thinking, which is very good, and in batting as well. He brings positive energy to the team.

Shardul Thakur will now be seen in action when India takes on Sri Lanka in the final of the tournament. The game will be played on Sunday (17th September) in Colombo.