Umran Malik Or Shardul Thakur? Aakash Chopra Picks India's 4th Pacer For ICC World Cup 2023

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has backed Shardul Thakur to be a part of Team India’s squad as the fourth pacer for the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023.

While Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are all but confirmed for the World Cup, the fourth pacer’s slot is still vacant. The race for the fourth pacer’s place is mainly between Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik. Both the bowlers were recently given an opportunity to prove themselves during the ODI series against West Indies and Shardul Thakur grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

He finished the three-match series as the highest wicket-taker. After picking up 1 wicket in the series opener, the right-arm pacer accounted for 3 and 4 wickets in the second and third ODIs respectively. Umran Malik, on the other hand, completely failed to make an impression. In the two ODIs he played in the series, he could not pick up any wicket.

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Aakash Chopra on Shardul Thakur’s World Cup prospects:

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was recently asked whether Shardul Thakur is confirmed as India’s fourth pacer for the World Cup. In reply, the former cricketer-turned-commentator stated:

“That is what it seems like as of now. He has picked up a lot of wickets. Bumrah, Siraj, Shami, and Shardul Thakur – I feel these four fast bowlers will be a part of India’s 15 in the World Cup.”

“Shardul gives you a little batting and he is also a wicket-taker. He might bowl full, short, or wide, but whatever he bowls, he picks up wickets. We all bow down to Lord Thakur. There are extremely bright chances of Lord being in my team,” he added.

Talking about Shardul Thakur’s ODI career so far, he has picked up 58 wickets in 38 matches at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 6.16. He is also a handy lower-order batter and has one fifty to his name in the 50-over format.

Meanwhile, the World Cup is scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19. India will open their campaign on October 8 against five-time world champions Australia. Before the World Cup, India will play the Asia Cup, scheduled to be played from August 30.