Beyond the Eng vs. 2nd Test, Ajinkya Rahane appealed to Captain Shubman Gill to use Shardul Thakur better.
Out of favour India cricket team batter Ajinkya Rahane has appealed to captain Shubman Gill to use Shardul Thakur in a better way in the ongoing England series. The Indian skipper came under fire for underutilizing the Mumbai all-rounder as the latter bowled just 16 overs in ENG vs IND 1st Test. Ahead of the 2nd Test, Rahane backed his Mumbai teammate to do wonders with the ball.
Rahane’s advice for Gill on using Shardul Thakur
In a video on his YouTube channel, Rahane claimed that Shardul was a bowler who could swing the ball both ways and get wickets for the team. He urged Gill to allow Thakur to open the bowling along with Bumrah. Rahane has worked in close quarters with Shardul in domestic tourneys, and knows the all-rounder really well.
“Shardul is an experienced player, he has done really well in overseas Tests. I want to see more overs from Thakur. If the Indian team can use Shardul in a better way that will be really great. I have seen that he can swing the ball both ways and is a wicket-taker,” Rahane stated.
Thakur was not brought into the attack in the 1st innings until a later stage. Gill used him only for six overs in the 1st innings and allowed him to bowl 10 overs in the 2nd. He finished the game with figures of 2/89, with both his wickets coming in the 2nd innings.
“Captain can even give him (Shardul) the new ball. He can swing the ball both ways. With the Duke ball, the ball starts behaving after 10 or 12 overs. So, if Shardul can start the bowling with Bumrah and Siraj can come as the first change, that would be really great,” Rahane added.
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