Reports: Shardul Thakur on track to play Irani Cup for Mumbai after surgery
Shardul recently played for Mumbai against KSCA Secretary XI in Bengaluru.
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur suffered an ankle injury during IPL 2024, which ruled him out of action for four months. He underwent surgery in London on June 12 and recently made his comeback to competitive cricket as he featured for Mumbai against KSCA Secretary’s XI in Dr K Thimmappiah Memorable Tournament in Bengaluru.
He bowled eight overs in the match and conceded 29 runs without any success. Even with the bat, Shardul flopped, registering a duck. However, as per reports, he is likely to feature for Mumbai in the upcoming Irani Cup, which will begin on October 1 and will be played at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. It was initially supposed to take place at the Wankhede Stadium as Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy but due to the monsoon season, it got shifted.
Meanwhile, Shardul missed the Duleep Trophy season as he is yet to regain full fitness. As per The Times of India, he is in much better shape right now and is expected to be called up by Mumbai for Irani Cup. Notably, the 32-year-old was part of Mumbai’s squad in the Ranji Trophy 2024. Even though he couldn’t impress with the ball, the cricketer scored a crucial century against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final and a fifty against Vidarbha in the final.
Thakur in contention for Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
Thakur is currently not in the scheme of things as far as red-ball cricket is concerned. However, if he does remarkably well in the upcoming Irani Cup and the domestic season, the all-rounder can be considered. India will be eyeing to pick up an all-rounder for the five-match Test series against Australia later in the year, and that’s the position Shardul can back with consistent performance.
The BCCI doesn’t consider Hardik Pandya to be a red-ball prospect, which leaves the door open for Shardul to capitalize. The pacers are unlikely to play all the matches in the series and given the Mumbai all-rounder’s batting prowess, he can throw his hat in the selection process. However, he will have to prove himself with the ball as well.
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