Finance
Shardul Thakur had a stellar third ODI against West Indies as he returned with career-best figures of 4/37 and helped India clinch the must-win tie for a series victory. He claimed eight wickets. With his performance against West Indies on Tuesday, Shardul also completed a half-century of wickets since the conclusion of the 2019 ODI World Cup. Interestingly, Shardul is the only bowler in the Indian team to have completed a half-century of scalps in this period. Kuldeep Yadav (46), Mohammed Siraj (43), and Yuzvendra Chahal (37) follow him in the list.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has made an interesting observation. “You need to praise Lord Thakur a lot. Lord Thakur has picked up the most wickets for India in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. The good thing is that there is a place vacant for the World Cup. The question was who can be the fourth fast bowler after (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammad) Shami, and (Mohammed) Siraj,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“It seems like Lord Thakur has become the answer to that question currently. Umran Malik has fallen behind in that list suddenly, although he might do well in the T20s and we start talking about him, but for now, it seems like Lord Thakur’s World Cup looks almost confirmed.”
Shardul’s ODI series performance boosts his chances for selection in Asia Cup and future World Cup squads. However, with Jasprit Bumrah set to return, the competition for places in the team will be fierce.
At the end of the match, Shardul admitted that he was delighted with what he had achieved in the series.
“I am happy to have picked up eight wickets in this series. As a cricketer we wait for this opportunity for years, sometimes you perform, sometimes not.
“Whichever series I play that always boost my confidence because I am only adding experience to my career,” Shardul said after the match.
“I never think that I have to play to seal my spot because I can’t play with that mentality and I am not that type of player,” he said in the press conference after the match.
