Shardul Thakur's Australia trip in jeopardy as all-rounder gets hospitalized after Day 2 of Irani Cup

India and Mumbai allrounder Shardul Thakur was rushed to a nearby hospital after the second day's play between Mumbai and Rest of India at Lucknow. It is believed that Thakur had a fever of 102 degrees when he was batting.

But despite suffering from high fever, the allrounder scored a valiant 36 off 59 balls with 4 fours and 1 six. Thakur also stitched a crucial partnership of 73 runs with Sarfaraz Khan to take Mumbai to a formidable first-innings total.

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Shardul Thakur hospitalized after Day 2 of the Irani Cup

According to a report from The Indian Express, Shardul Thakur was battling through fever for the whole day. He had already shown symptoms of mild fever earlier on the first day of the match.

However, his condition deteriorated when he batted for almost two hours on the second day of the match. He was also forced to take short breaks in between his innings, in which his condition was checked by the team doctor.

But Shardul decided to play despite not feeling well. He showed unwavering commitment to his team. After he was finally dismissed by Saransh Jain in the 138th over of the innings, the doctors checked him again and decided to rush him to the nearby hospital.

Shardul had been feeling weak throughout the second day but still insisted on playing. The medical team is believed to be closely following his condition and a final decision will be taken by the doctors regarding his further participation in the Test.

Several medical tests for potential diseases like dengue and malaria were carried out in the hospital and the test results are awaited which will further confirm his participation in the remaining of the game.

Sarfaraz Khan shines for Mumbai

The match is Shardul Thakur's first match since the foot surgery in London. He suffered the injury during the Ranji Trophy last season but showed immense resilience to take Mumbai to the title win by playing through pain.

In his first professional match after surgery, Thakur displayed brilliant composure with the bat and frustrated the Rest of India bowlers as Mumbai racked up 537 in the first innings. Sarfaraz Khan scored a magnificent 222 off 286 balls and remained unbeaten till the end. The youngster smashed 25 fours and 4 sixes in his knock.

Shardul Thakur key player for India's Test team

Shardul was also a part of India's tour of South Africa last year but could not play as his injury aggravated. A fully-fit Shardul Thakur is crucial to India's team in the overseas Test matches. Thakur's ability to bowl long spells and being a handy lower-order batter makes him a key member of India's Test team.

The 32-year-old has played key roles in India's overseas wins in England, South Africa, and Australia earlier. He was also a part of the team that won the historic Test series in Australia in the 2020-21 season.

His return to first-class cricket is a good sign for India. Shardul Thakur will be aiming to put up good performances in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season to put up his case for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will be played later this year.