New Delhi: India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended captain Shubman Gill's decision to make Shardul Thakur bowl less in the first match of the series against England, but it will be difficult to justify his selection in the second Test starting July 2. Shardul, playing his first Test since December 2023, was not used well in fast bowling and he also disappointed the team with his batting. He scored a total of five runs off 20 balls in two innings. Shardul bowled only six overs in the first innings of the match and 10 overs in the second innings. In such a situation, questions are being raised on giving him preference over a specialist bowler.
Runs were easily scored against Shardul
Although Shardul had raised India's hopes of victory by taking two consecutive wickets on the fifth day of the match, there was no edge and sharpness in his bowling. He and Prasidh Krishna bowled a lot of weak balls, which did not put pressure on the England batsmen. India had to face defeat despite dominating for most of the time in this five-day match. Despite this defeat, the team does not need to worry much. However, some changes are certain in the final eleven for the Edgbaston Test. Experts had demanded the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in the first match of the series and now he is likely to be included in place of Shardul on the pitch that helps spinners in Birmingham.
Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar told, 'Kuldeep should be in the team. There is no point in playing with four fast bowlers. Either Shardul or Prasidh can make room for him.'
Sanjay Manjrekar also raised questions
Teams in England have often taken the field with four fast bowlers but given the dry weather at present, both Kuldeep and Ravindra Jadeja can make it to the playing XI. Former Indian batsman Sanjay Manjrekar told 'Jiostar', 'Kuldeep Yadav has to come back. I am sad to say this, but Shardul Thakur has to go out. This is a change that India will have to make. As far as Nitish Kumar Reddy is concerned, I supported him for the first Test on the basis that he performed brilliantly in Australia. But he does not provide enough options. He will not be able to fully live up to the role of the fourth fast bowler in the team, so the Indian team management will have to take a tough decision. We have to do with our best attack in the conditions here and for this I will keep one fast bowler less and include Kuldeep in the playing XI. He has to play.'
After chasing England's record target of 371 runs at Headingley, Gambhir was asked about Shardul's less use, and he supported the captain in this matter. He said, 'The captain sometimes acts according to his conscience and Jadeja gave us control in the first innings. This allowed us to bowl with our three fast bowlers at the other end. We know what Shardul's skill is and that's why he is playing for India. He is the fourth fast bowler, it does not mean that he should be given a chance to bowl before the spinner. A captain takes decisions according to his thinking and this decision is largely based on the condition of the pitch.'
