Former New Zealand Player Criticizes Shardul Thakur By Comparing With Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur (Image Source: Twitter)
After winning both the T20I and ODI series against England on their home soil, India is scheduled to kick off three ODIs and five T20Is in West Indies, from 22 July 2022. Star players have been given rest and that’s why Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side in the ODIs. Even, after becoming the player of the series in England ODIs, Hardik Pandya was given rest while Shardul Thakur has been given the chance in the squad.
Now, regarding the potential of Shardul Thakur, former New Zealand batter, Scott Styris opened up his verdict by comparing him with India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya. He said that Shardul Thakur needs to fight for his place in the playing XI for India.
“I don’t believe Shardul Thakur is an all-rounder.” – Scott Styris
Speaking on SPORTS18’s show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’, Styris said that Shardul does possess that ability to hit boundaries. He said: “That’s the one thing he has at his advantage is the fact that he bats, and we’ve seen him play many match-winning innings for India, usually in the longer versions of the game. But he does possess that ability to hit boundaries, close out innings or put the final touches, the cherry on the top if you like is one thing that he does have to his advantage,”
Styris also said that he does not consider Shardul as an all-rounder compared to Hardik Pandya. “The downside is the emergence of Hardik Pandya as a genuine all-rounder. Do you need two of those styles of players? Because Shardul Thakur isn’t as good as Hardik Pandya. I don’t believe he is an all-rounder. So maybe he’s fighting for a backup spot rather than one of those players to play as a front liner,” he added.
The former Kiwi batter also discussed India’s new pacer, Prasidh Krishna’s abilities, and potential. “Yeah, not a bad comparison. I would say that Prasidh Krishna is a little bit quicker than Glen McGrath, there’s no question about that. But the question is, can he sustain that throughout the whole innings? If we’re talking ODIs then upfront I think there’s no question. Pace and bounce as a batsman, from experience, is the hardest thing to play. He’s got that in spades. He’s brilliant with a new ball in his hand,” Styris concluded.
