The comment was aimed at the pacer’s Twitter-born nickname, “Lord Shardul Thakur”, given apparently for his happy knack of collecting crucial wickets and runs at unexpected moments. Wasim Jaffer wrote on Twitter:
Shardul Thakur has suffered a minor hamstring injury and won’t be available for the second Test, which starts on Thursday. The right-armer was brilliant in the first game, picking up two wickets each in both innings. His victims included opposition captain Joe Root and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler.
Who can replace Shardul Thakur in the 2nd Test?
Virat Kohli said after the first match he was happy with the bowling combination of four pacers and a spin-bowling all-rounder. But Shardul Thakur’s absence could break that template.
If Lord’s sports a pitch similar to Trent Bridge in its greenish tinge, India will likely look at Ishant Sharma as Thakur’s replacement. Sharma is one of India’s highest wicket-takers and could swing the ball upfront. But that’ll leave them with a longish tail without a reliable batsman after Ravindra Jadeja.
On the other hand, if the pitch is even slightly conducive to spinners, the team management will look to play Ravichandran Ashwin without a second thought. Ashwin was unlucky to miss out in the first Test and will be raring to go at Lord’s. He is a wicket-taker across time zones and would be a handy batter at the no.8 position.
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