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Wasim Jaffer has joked about Shardul Thakur's injury that has ruled him out of India's playing XI for the second Test against England at Lord's. The former batsman said the development was 'sad' because Thakur won't be able to play in a stadium "named after him".
The comment was aimed at the pacer's Twitter-born nickname, "Lord Shardul Thakur", given apparently for his happy knack of collecting crucial wickets and runs at unexpected moments. Wasim Jaffer wrote on Twitter:
"It's sad if Shardul Thakur misses the Lord's Test. Afterall not often cricketers get to play in a stadium named after them"
Shardul Thakur has suffered a minor hamstring injury and won't be available for the second Test, which starts on Thursday. The right-armer was brilliant in the first game, picking up two wickets each in both innings. His victims included opposition captain Joe Root and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler.
Who can replace Shardul Thakur in the 2nd Test?
Virat Kohli said after the first match he was happy with the bowling combination of four pacers and a spin-bowling all-rounder. But Shardul Thakur's absence could break that template.
If Lord's sports a pitch similar to Trent Bridge in its greenish tinge, India will likely look at Ishant Sharma as Thakur's replacement. Sharma is one of India's highest wicket-takers and could swing the ball upfront. But that'll leave them with a longish tail without a reliable batsman after Ravindra Jadeja.
On the other hand, if the pitch is even slightly conducive to spinners, the team management will look to play Ravichandran Ashwin without a second thought. Ashwin was unlucky to miss out in the first Test and will be raring to go at Lord's. He is a wicket-taker across time zones and would be a handy batter at the no.8 position.
