Shardul Thakur in action for Indian cricket team© AFP
Former Indian cricket team batter Robin Uthappa believes that fast bowler Shardul Thakur can be a 'concern' for the Rohit Sharma-led side in the Cricket World Cup 2023. The two cricketers were teammates in the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings and Uthappa pointed out that although Shardul is a proven wicket-taker, he is prone to having a high economy rate. Shardul will be a major asset for India in the Cricket World Cup as the team management may choose him in the place of Mohammed Siraj or Mohammed Shami due to his superior batting skills. Uthappa said that Shardul has a knack of taking wickets but he needs to pay attention towards stopping runs.
“Shardul Thakur could be a concern for Team India. Yes, he picks up wickets and is a high-quality bowler, but he leaks a lot of runs. He can be very expensive. That's something that he will have to pay attention to,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
"He is someone who is always going to take wickets, but when he doesn't take wickets, he ends up looking a little expensive. In CSK, we used to fondly call him the golden arm. I am certain that his role will be very similar for the Indian team," he added.
Uthappa also backed Ravichandran Ashwin to be included in India's World Cup squad if Axar Patel is ruled out due to injury. He was all praise for the veteran spinner and said that he can be a big threat.
"It certainly seems like Ashwin will be the number-one pick if India miss out Axar Patel. With his experience in India, he is going to be a very dangerous bowler. He got an outside chance, and he is a high-quality player who brings out his best performances in such situations. From not being selected in the World Cup squad to deceiving batters in the Australia series, Ashwin has done exceptionally well."
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