Shardul Thakur must have had sleeping problems after the 1st Test between India and South Africa. His performance with the ball was below par, and he failed as the third seamer. Shardul Thakur lacked the rhythm to bowl long and impeccable line & lengths which was quite rare to see as the bowler is often termed to be the one with the golden arm.
Shardul Thakur was out of his depth.
He seemed out of place at Centurion when everyone had great expectations from him. The seaming conditions seemed ideal for his style of swing-based bowling. He was not in his element and seemed out of sorts. For a bowler with a reputation for being wily and street-smart, he had no idea how to bowl.
Shardul Thakur scored a century…..
In his bowling. Leaking 101 runs in 19 overs, he could not stem the flow of runs that led to South Africa scoring 400 plus runs.
Who is a better option?
A hindsight analysis says that the Indian team should have tried Arshdeep Singh. In the white ball series, he was making life miserable for the South African. But one has to wonder if he can bowl long spells with the discipline required in red ball format. He has not played much first-class cricket.
Will Mukesh Kumar replace Shardul Thakur in the 2nd Test? Or will Prasidh Krishna sit out? Let us know how the combination changes when Ravindra Jadeja returns to the team.
We are praying for a miraculous comeback for India.