Fast bowler Shardul Thakur has been ruled out of the match with a hamstring injury in a selection headache for India ahead of the second Test against England at Lord’s. Captain Virat Kohli confirmed during a press conference on Wednesday that Thakur has a left hamstring injury and will only be in contention for the third Test.
In the first Test, Thalur took four wickets, two in each innings, however, he looked uncomfortable in the second innings, where he bowled only 13 overs for 37 runs. It was the lowest among the four fast bowlers. It is still not clear whether he suffered an injury during the first Test.
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He could not perform with the bat as he was sent packing for a duck but assured India at number eight which no other fast bowling option offers. This could pave the way for Ravichandran Ashwin to make a comeback in the playing XI, as Ravindra Jadeja’s superior skills with the willow were ruled out.
Thakur joins India’s growing injury list, having already dropped Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Avesh Khan.
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Showing Lord’s with latest pictures from the ground the pitch will be towards the green When the match starts, now, London has recorded a maximum temperature of 24 degrees and an average temperature around 14 degrees, it will be interesting to see if the England pitch comes to the aid of the England pacers like in 2018.
If the pitch is on the dry side, there can be no harm in playing both Ashwin and Jadeja, who with their various variations can trouble this delicate England batting line-up. The poor quality of the new generation of England’s Test players was again exposed as captain Joe Root came to his team’s defense for the fifteenth time with a half-century in the first innings and a possibly match-saving 21st Test century in the second essay.
(with PTI inputs)
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