'If there’s one thing he does not lack is his confidence' - Dinesh Karthik on Shardul Thakur's career so far

Shardul Thakur has been very good for India in red-ball cricket so far. He has the ability to change the complexion of the game at any moment. The 30-year-old has a lot of variety in his bowling and can mix it really well in order to get crucial breakthroughs.

He’s been very decisive with the bat as well. He played two important knocks in the Oval Test last year as he recorded two fifty-plus scores in the match. He is a good fielder as well and can be an asset for the Indian team in SENA countries if not in the subcontinent.

Dinesh Karthik, a wicketkeeper-batter of the Indian team, praised the pacer for his contributions so far. He highlighted Thakur’s humble background, and stated that making it into international cricket was never an easy task for him. He, however, had a lot of confidence in himself and that’s what’s helping him to succeed in international cricket these days.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, the 37-year-old said, “A lot of people thought he was new and saw him in that Test series, but I’ve seen him from 2012, playing for Bombay, coming in when there were probably not many people watching Ranji Trophy. What I’ve liked that he had taken 300 domestic wickets before playing Test cricket and that would keep a bowler in good stead.

“So when I saw him in England, the first thing I wanted to see was is are they able to transfer the confidence to the international level. And there is one thing that he’s answered very clearly. If there’s one thing he does not lack is his confidence.”

We don’t think on those lines: Rishabh Pant on competition with Dinesh Karthik in the T20Is

With the Asia Cup coming up and the T20 World Cup just around the corner, there are certain doubts in the Indian team that need to get sorted. At the moment, a certain section of the fans believe that both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik can’t feature in the same XI as the middle order is stacked. With Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja having sealed their spots already, one of Rishabh or Karthik is likely to feature.

Pant, who recently led India in the T20I series against South Africa, is not worried about any competition. He aims to give his best and leave out the rest for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to decide.

Speaking to Zee Hindustan, the youngster said, “We don’t think about those lines. We as individuals always want to give our 100 percent to the team. The rest depends on the coach and the captain and how the team could get an advantage from that.”

Pant and Karthik both featured for some matches after the IPL. However, with Virat Kohli and KL Rahul making their return in the Indian set-up, it might not be possible for both of them to feature together.