Former India heac coach Ravi Shastri has criticised Shardul Thakur for his underwhelming performance in the first Test against South Africa in Centurion. India suffered a massive defeat by an innings and 32 runs at the hands of South Africa in the Boxing Day Test. Shardul, serving as the fourth pace option for India, had a disappointing outing, ending with figures of 1/101 and an economy rate of 5.3, marking him as the most expensive of the Indian bowlers.
The strategy to include him as an all-rounder also failed to yield results, with scores of just 24 and 2 in both the innings respectively. While India's batting collapse grabbed most headlines in their innings defeat, the lack of potency in their bowling attack was equally concerning.
Since his impressive 7/61 in Johannesburg in 2022, Shardul's form has declined, with only seven wickets in the subsequent 7 Tests. Shastri noted that India's bowling lacked the necessary experience, and despite Shardul's tenure, he was only average, barring his dismissal of Dean Elgar. With Prasidh Krishna debuting and Mohammed Shami injured, India's bowling concerns were further exacerbated, contributing to their overall struggles in the match.
"India lacked experience in their bowling attack. They’ve got two of them who are reasonable experienced - Bumrah and Siraj - but they missed Shami big time. Shardul Thakur is not a baby, but he is the 4th seamer. You need a proper third seamer and that makes a massive difference overseas," Shastri said.
Shastri Advises Arshdeep to Focus on Ranji Trophy
As far as India's bowling options are concerned, Mukesh Kumar is relatively inexperienced, and the team has progressed beyond veterans Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, who were once key figures in India's pace attack. During a discussion about India's lackluster bowling with Mark Nicholas, an intriguing suggestion was made about Arshdeep Singh. However, before the conversation could gain momentum, Shastri offered a crucial perspective. Although Arshdeep impressed in the South Africa ODIs with his performance, including a five-wicket haul in Johannesburg and 4/30 in Paarl, and adds a left-arm variety, there's a question about his readiness for the demanding format of Test cricket. Shastri isn't convinced just yet and recommended that Arshdeep consider participating in the Ranji Trophy, a step the young bowler might find beneficial.
"The thing is you want to see his First-Class record. Can he bowl long spells? Has he played a lot of Ranji Trophy cricket? I would in fact go and make him play a lot of it, Ranji and First-Class cricket and keep him in the mix because if someone can swing it like he did with the white ball in South Africa, he could be a handy customer," he concluded.
It will be interesting to see whether Indian Team management stick with Shardul or go with another option when Rohit's brigade lock horns with South Africa in the second Test which is slated to start from January 3, 2024.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
WATCH: Sunil Gavaskar refuses to accept Irfan Pathan's 'sorry' on live TV during IND vs SA 1st Test, here's what happened next
India slip from top to fifth position on WTC points table after big loss to South Africa, may slip further after MCG Test
