Will Deepak Chahar's rise affect Shardul Thakur's spot in the Indian team?
On Sunday, Deepak Chahar proved his mettle with a valiant knock of 54 from 34 balls and a decent return of 2-53 in 8 overs. Chahar's efforts eventually went in vain as India lost a very close game by 4 runs, but his contribution won't be forgotten any time soon by the team management or the fans.
The game was practically a dead rubber as the hosts were already leading the three-match series 2-0. This presented captain KL Rahul with a chance to rotate his players, and he subsequently brought in Chahar for his CSK teammate Shardul Thakur.
Chahar seized the opportunity in style, and his performance might now start a competition for the spot of the fast-bowling all-rounder.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are India's frontline pacers in any format when both of them are fit and available. This means there is only one spot up for grabs in India's limited-overs pace battery, which preferably needs to be filled by a fast-bowling all-rounder - a role that was previously occupied by Hardik Pandya.
Pandya's presence brought balance to the Indian lineup, but of late he has had troubles with form and fitness due to which he has made himself unavailable for selection. That makes Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar the main candidates for the role.
Chahar is relatively inexperienced in international cricket; he has played just six ODIs and 17 T20Is in his four-year career, compared to Thakur's haul of 17 ODIs and 24 T20Is (which include outings in Australia, England and South Africa). Thakur's red-ball experience in three of the SENA countries does give him an edge.
The two players are quite different in terms of their bowling role in white-ball cricket. Chahar primarily operates as a swing bowler with the new ball in the powerplay. Thakur, meanwhile, has been Virat Kohli's strike bowler in the middle and death overs, gaining a reputation as a partnership-breaker.
It is tough to choose the better bowler from the two, as they both have their strengths and weaknesses. While Chahar is more disciplined in his bowling and has a lower economy rate than Thakur, it has been the latter's wicket-taking ability that has made him a regular selection in India's side.
Chahar has the upper hand when it comes to IPL cricket, as he has been MS Dhoni's most trusted pacer for the Chennai Super Kings. In comparison, Thakur has had more ups and downs in his IPL career.
With the bat, neither of them is as good a power hitter as Hardik Pandya. But they have both proved their capabilities with the bat in recent months, including the recent series against South Africa.
While Chahar scored 54 runs in the only game he played, Thakur scored 90 runs in the last two ODIs including a stylish fifty, remaining unbeaten on both occasions. Thakur has the obvious edge here due to his crucial batting performances in Australia and England.
Overall too, Shardul Thakur seems to have the upper hand over Deepak Chahar right now, mainly due to his exploits in all formats of the game. But there might come a day soon when the competition will be much closer - especially if both of them are presented with equal opportunities.