Virat Kohli, India
Virat Kohli. Image Credits: Twitter

On the eve of the first Test against England in Nottingham, India captain Virat Kohli spoke about developing Shardul Thakur in the seam-bowling all-rounder’s role.

With Hardik Pandya away from Test cricket due to his back issues, which has rendered him unable to bowl for longer durations, the best player India have in terms of a pace-bowling all-rounder is Shardul Thakur.

The Palghar-born has shown his prowess with the bat time and again, not least with his terrific knock of 67 runs in the Brisbane Test against a world-class Australian bowling attack.

Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur (Image Credit- Getty)

Virat Kohli said that they are looking at Thakur as a replacement for Pandya in Test cricket as seam-bowling all-rounders offer balance to the side in overseas conditions such as England. While Thakur is unlikely to start in the first Test, he could come into the picture later on the tour.

“Yes, he can definitely be created (into an all-rounder). He already is a multi-dimensional cricketer and it’s all about him getting more and more confidence. Someone like him brings a lot of balance to the Test team or for that matter any format of the game,” Virat Kohli said on Tuesday.

“Hardik has done that so far in the past and he is getting back on track to bowling regularly. These kinds of cricketers help the team in a massive way and Shardul is a huge prospect for us. Someone who will be very important not just this series but moving forward as well,” he added.

We are definitely much better prepared than we have been in the past: Virat Kohli

India had arrived on the England shores in early June for the WTC final, which they lost to New Zealand. With more than two months of preparation time in the country, Virat Kohli opined the side is “definitely much better prepared” for the series than they’ve ever been.

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He believes that the players have had more than enough time to acclimatize themselves to the conditions on offer. The Indian team is vying for their first Test series win in England since 2007.

India Team
India Team (Image Credit: Twitter)

“We are definitely much better prepared than we have been in the past. The situation allowed us to get acclimatised to the weather firstly because it can change quite drastically and quite quickly.

“At the same time playing under different changes in conditions in terms of weather – whether it is overcast, or it is sunny, how the pitches behave, how the ball travels, how much it swings in the air. All those kinds of things are definitely going to add to our experience which already the team possesses a lot of, having played in England in the past,” the 32-year-old stated.

Also Read: England vs India 2021, 1st Test – Nottingham Weather Report