Navjot Singh Sidhu questions Shardul Thakur’s selection in Old Trafford Test against England

Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu questioned the team management and selectors for backing Shardul Thakur in the ongoing Old Trafford Test match against England. Thakur replaced Nitish Kumar Reddy in the final XI after the latter suffered a knee injury while training in the gym.

Meanwhile, Thakur had failed to deliver the goods in the opening Test match against England at Leeds, Headingley. He was expensive with the ball and also could not deliver with the bat.

Sidhu reckons bits-and-pieces cricketers like Thakur can do well in ODI format and India should have backed specialists.

“One area of problem, even if Shardul makes a fifty, at that number eight position, bits-and-pieces cricketers do well in one-day cricket, but in Test cricket, you always need specialists. If you could bring Shardul the bowler at number eight, then I would agree this is the right selection. You do not bowl him enough and then in order to increase the batting you compromise with your bowling. Bits-and-pieces cricketers, I don’t think will ever win you games abroad. Even Jadeja could not pick wickets in the first two Tests with the rough. Batting, fielding, as an all-rounder, par excellence,” Navjot Singh Sidhu reflected while talking on his YouTube channel. 

Sidhu believes India is compromising when they are looking to add batting depth and it is not helping them in the ongoing series.

“What is the purpose here? The guy at number eight, do you want him to give you five wickets or batting depth? If you want batting depth and that would win you games, then would those 200 runs not have been chased? If seven can’t do it, eight also won’t. I have been repeating this point time and again. I feel this is again a compromise, and I feel it will not go in favor of India,” he said. 

Meanwhile, India ended the day’s play at 264-4 with Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja, both unbeaten on 19 each. Sidhu said it was India’s day after Ben Stokes decided to bowl first in overcast conditions.

“There are my questions yet to be answered. But at the moment, the first day will go in India’s name. They have dominated 70 percent in the series but still are 2-1 down where they should have been 3-0. But this is the lack of experience, you will not find it in a mall or market. But the series has been brilliant,” he said.