By Shamik Chakrabarty in Mumbai
“The (2027) ODI World Cup is also in South Africa. So, there might be a place open for a bowling all-rounder at No. 8. So, I am of course eyeing that spot,” said Shardul Thakur.
On the face of it, this sounds implausible. Shardul would be 36 in 2027. His last ODI appearance was in October 2023, and of late his tenuous link to international cricket has been restricted to the longest format. But scratch beneath the surface, and he could have a slim chance, as weird as it may sound.
Hardik Pandya is India’s No. 1 seam-bowling all-rounder in white-ball cricket by a distance. But his injury record has been pretty poor, the latest setback being missing out on the Australian sojourn. Devoid of too many options, the Indian team management considers Nitish Kumar Reddy a poor man’s Hardik. But the Andhra all-rounder is still a work in progress. So far he has played only two ODIs, too small a sample size to judge his mettle in this format. Circa 2027 is far away and nobody knows how Reddy’s career would progress.
In home conditions, India can load their playing XI with spinners. It would be a little different in South Africa, and having three spin-bowling all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, might be a luxury there. An extra seam-bowling all-rounder at No. 8 might offer a better balance.
Shardul is a street-smart cricketer, not one to build castles in the air. He knows he is aiming for something which at this moment appears nigh on impossible. Then again, things can change quickly in sport. Who would have thought about Karun Nair’s Test comeback after a gap of eight years. In fact, Shardul himself proved the selectors wrong by earning a Test recall for the England series in the summer. Last year, the selection committee had sort of written him off. But the Mumbai all-rounder returned to the Test fold by dint of his performances, 505 runs and 35 wickets, in the Ranji Trophy in the 2024-25 season.
“What is important for me is to keep playing matches and perform,” said Shardul. “Eventually, to get back to the Indian team, I also need to keep having those performances, good performances, match-winning performances, which are eventually going to help in the selection. And whenever the Indian team needs me, or whenever I am selected, I am ready to play international cricket. So, in terms of preparation, my preparation is such that if tomorrow I am asked to play international cricket, I am ready for that.”
If he is indeed aiming for an ODI return, then the Vijay Hazare Trophy becomes important for Shardul. His time starts from this season.
3 points for Mumbai
Meanwhile, the Ranji Trophy match between Mumbai and Chhattisgarh here at the MCA Ground in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ended in a draw, with the hosts getting three points by virtue of their first-innings lead. After bundling out Chhattisgarh for 217 in their first innings, Mumbai enforced the follow-on. But Ayush Pandey stood tall with an unbeaten century (117) to deny the 42-time champions an outright win.
Brief scores: Mumbai 416 drew with Chhattisgarh 217 (Shashank Singh 33; Shams Mulani 5/59) and 201/3 (Ayush Pandey 117 not out)
Points: Mumbai 3, Chhattisgarh 1
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