Shardul Thakur isn't as good as Hardik Pandya, don't think he's an all-rounder: Scott Styris

Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris reckons that Shardul Thakur would have to fight for his place in the Indian team due to the emergence of Hardik Pandya. Styris feels that Thakur has the ability to hit boundaries, play some match-winning innings and also close out an innings with a finishing touch.

However, the former Kiwi all-rounder feels that Hardik has an edge over Thakur because the former is a genuine all-rounder. And Styris believes that Thakur is not as good as Pandya, adding that Thakur is fighting for a backup spot. Pandya is currently enjoying a great run of form and also won the Player-of-the-Series award in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series of the England tour.

“That’s the one thing he has at his advantage is the fact that he bats, and we’ve seen him play many match-winning innings for India usually in the longer versions of the game,” said Styris on the SPORTS18 show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’. 

Shardul Thakur fighting for a backup spot: Styris

“That’s the one thing he has at his advantage is the fact that he bats, and we’ve seen him play many match-winning innings for India usually in the longer versions of the game. But he does possess that ability to hit boundaries, close out innings or put the final touches, the cherry on the top if you like is one thing that he does have to his advantage,” said the 47-year-old.

“The downside is the emergence of Hardik Pandya as a genuine all-rounder. Do you need two of those style of players? Because Shardul Thakur isn’t as good as Hardik Pandya. I don’t believe he is an all-rounder. So maybe he’s fighting for a backup spot rather than one of those players to play as a front liner,” added Styris.

Pandya was the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 and guided the team to the title in their debut season. He was also the Player of the Match in the final against Rajasthan Royals (RR) for his all-round performance, picking up three wickets and scoring 34 runs.

In the recently concluded ODI series against England, Pandya scored 100 runs in two innings and also picked up six wickets. India went on to win the series 2-1, which was their first ODI series win in England since 2014.