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Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons that Shardul Thakur is capable of solving the team’s woes of finding a dependable all-rounder after Kapil Dev. Harbhajan, who was Thakur’s teammate at Chennai Super Kings (CSK), however, agreed that the 29-year-old will have to develop both his batting and bowling to do so.
In a short international career, the 29-year-old has made significant contributions for India. He was one of the heroes of the team’s triumph in the Oval Test, scoring half-centuries in both innings and picking up three crucial wickets.
Discussing Thakur’s performance, Harbhajan told TOI that the all-rounder’s performance at The Oval will do a lot of good to his confidence. He said:
“See, if he continues to work on his batting and continues to put the hard yards in his bowling, he can solve India’s problem of finding a dependable all-rounder after Kapil Dev. It’s so good to see the way he batted, and it will build his confidence going forward."
Harbhajan wants Thakur to bat at no.8 in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries, where two spinners are not recommended due to the playing conditions. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner added:
"I would like to see him batting at No 8 and scoring runs consistently for Team India, especially in countries like Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa, where you can’t play two spinners and someone needs to bowl too as your main fast bowler and bat also as your No. 5 to 7 batsmen. Shardul is pretty capable of doing that at No 8, where he can score runs and win games for the team.”
“Don’t think CSK or IPL has done wonders to Thakur’s game” - Harbhajan
While many feel playing for CSK in the IPL has improved Thakur as a cricketer, Harbhajan doesn’t agree with the observation.
He pointed out that the cricketer has been doing very well for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy for a number of years. Harbhajan said in praise of Thakur:
“He has done well for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy for many years. He’s been a dependable player for them. It’s the right time for him to take his game to the next level, and he’s done exactly that. I don’t think CSK or any other IPL franchise has done wonders to his game. He’s matured with age and time. He’s always been a very good bowler.”
Describing him as a fighter, the 41-year-old added:
“Whenever I’ve seen him in the Ranji Trophy, (I’ve noted) that he likes to fight. He loves to compete, he wants to win each and every game. Whenever I’ve played with him, he wants to be the centre of attraction by doing well with the bat and/or ball. That comes naturally. You can’t inject someone with that quality.”
Thakur has so far played four Tests, 15 ODIs and 22 T20Is for India.
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