"He fits into the culture of this team" - Jatin Paranjpe backs Shardul Thakur
Former India cricketer and national selector Jatin Paranjpe feels Shardul Thakur's tenacity and fighting spirit will make him a good fit for the Indian team. Paranjpe recounted how Thakur traveled almost six hours every day to play cricket and that such challenging experiences have made him the cricketer he is today.
With India losing Umesh Yadav to injury for the rest of the series, they will be forced to make a change. Some experts believe Thakur should replace Yadav, and Paranjpe feels he will add good value to the Indian team.
"In Mumbai, he has played his entire cricket after travelling all the way from Palghar. These guys have undergone a tough rigour, travelling for six hours on a daily basis. This 'slog' makes these guys mentally very tough. This is where they get their tenacity. After going through that kind of a grind just to get to play cricket, they just don't want to give up," said Paranjpe.
"When you play international cricket, and particularly when you play Australia - tenacity and fighting spirit, the two qualities he possesses in abundance - trump over talent. He will keep coming at you with the ball and with the bat. He fits into the culture of this team, built by captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri. Like this team, he doesn't give up till the end." added Paranjpe.
Shardul Thakur's unfortunate Test debut
Playing for the first time for your country in Test is an experience an international cricketer never forgets. However, Shardul Thakur had a forgettable debut against West Indies in 2018 in Hyderabad. He only bowled ten balls before suffering a groin injury. The seamer didn't play the rest of the Test, which remains his only Test match appearance for India.
Shardul Thakur is competing with Navdeep Saini and T Natarajan for a place in the XI. Given his experience in domestic red-ball cricket, Thakur would be a frontrunner.
The 29-year-old seamer has played 62 first-class games for Mumbai and has picked 206 wickets at an average of 28.55. He can also contribute with the bat lower down the order which will undoubtedly come in handy for the Indian team.