SWOT Analysis of the Indian fast bowling unit for the tour to West Indies

Shardul Thakur:

The newest entrant to the Indian Test team, Shardul Thakur earned a place in the Indian Test line-up on the back of a successful campaign for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy 2016 which Mumbai won. Thakur grabbed everyone’s eye as he picked up 8 wickets in the final against Saurashtra which was instrumental in the team’s eventual success.

His first-class record speaks immensely of his talent and after having lost weight due to the persuasion of his teammates, Thakur is today a lean, mean fast bowling machine looking to compliment the likes of Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. At the same time, the task of carving a niche for himself and gaining a prominent role will be on his mind as he looks to take on the West Indian challenge.

The situation is tailor-made for Thakur as being a fast bowler, it’s not a pleasant experience when the pitch conditions don’t compliment or supplement your bowling style. He has the advantage of making his debut in West Indies where the conditions will, in all likelihood aid his bowling.

The Indian fast bowling unit will look to grab the eyes of the selectors and the headlines, this time, around as they get ready to take on the Caribbean challenge. A large part of their success depends on how captain Virat Kohli uses or rather rotates the bowlers to the best effect.

It will also be interesting to see how Shardul Thakur takes up the challenge as he has to realize that he is facing stiff competition from bowlers like Barinder Sran, Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaspreet Bumrah who have already made their debuts in the limited overs format and would be vying for a Test spot.