<p>“May not have the balance that we most likely used in the first four games.”</p>
<p>In answer to a query on Hardik Pandya’s absence from today’s match between India and New Zealand, India coach Rahul Dravid was frank. Because there was a Pandya working with the ball and ready with the pads as well, India was able to deploy six bowling options and some depth in the batting.<img decoding=”async” class=”alignnone wp-image-248599″ src=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/theindiaprint.com-amid-escalating-tensions-the-us-will-send-thaad-and-patriot-systems-to-the-middle-.jpg” alt=”theindiaprint.com amid escalating tensions the us will send thaad and patriot systems to the middle” width=”1404″ height=”934″ srcset=”https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/theindiaprint.com-amid-escalating-tensions-the-us-will-send-thaad-and-patriot-systems-to-the-middle-.jpg 275w, https://www.theindiaprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/theindiaprint.com-amid-escalating-tensions-the-us-will-send-thaad-and-patriot-systems-to-the-middle–150×100.jpg 150w” sizes=”(max-width: 1404px) 100vw, 1404px” title=”How the balance of India will be impacted by injured Hardik Pandya and ineffective Shardul Thakur 9″></p>
<p>India may need more than one change to keep both bowling and bases covered for this top-of-the-table match against New Zealand with the great all-rounder currently out. Not only Pandya’s absence, but also Thakur’s inefficiency, might give the management a professional appearance.</p>
<p>The “bowling all-rounder” Thakur has mostly served as a backup for the front-line bowling options, which include Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya. Thakur has yet to make an impact.</p>
<p>Only in the game against Bangladesh when Pandya wasn’t available did Thakur come close to bowling his allotted number of overs in the three games he has played so far. Those 9 overs served as a stark reminder of what Thakur lacks now and why it would be hazardous to play him in the starting lineup without Pandya.</p>
<p>The “fourth seaming option”</p>
<p>Shardul is supposed to be the “fourth seaming option,” but neither he nor his ability to fill in for Pandya as the third seamer have been very impressive. Dravid said that they thought of Thakur as “someone who certainly has happy knack of taking wickets,” but in the small sample size of 17 overs split over three games, that hasn’t been the case.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Without getting into too many specifics—it’s difficult to do so on a computer—I mean, Shardul definitely had the responsibility of serving as our team’s all-around bowler during the matches he participated in. On the eve of the game against New Zealand, Dravid said, “We saw him as someone who certainly has a happy knack of taking wickets as we have seen and then bowling those middle overs for us and being like a fourth seeming option for us on certain wickets which would probably require that fourth seaming option.</p>
<p>Thakur has only batted twice in the past 10 ODIs and wasn’t able to demonstrate his talent well. He returned from the Asia Cup matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan with scores of only 11 and 3, respectively. In each of those games, there were still around six overs remaining in the innings and enough deliveries for the right-hander to provide a glimpse of his Test match batting prowess.</p>
<p>Additionally, he hasn’t gotten much opportunity lately to bat, clearly. But he has undoubtedly been practicing his hitting in the nets. And we’ve been putting a lot of effort into it. He has shown the capacity to play some excellent shots as well as some huge shots. Of course, since he hasn’t got a lot of opportunities to bat, we’ve probably seen it more in Test cricket than in one-day cricket so far. But undoubtedly, he suited that bowling all-rounder position for us, according to Dravid, who also praised Thakur’s batting.</p>
<p>Dravid kept his lineup choices a secret before the game, although he did leave all possibilities open, including the possibility of playing Mohammed Shami or R Ashwin.</p>
<p>“many, many combinations and permutations. I don’t want to disclose too much. We really know very well who will play tomorrow. However, I wouldn’t want to reveal too much. But yes, I believe there are other combinations that we might come up with. Having someone like Shami waiting outside and bringing him into this game is a terrific option, especially with the three seamers. In certain instances, there is Ashwin, who has clearly been sitting out but who is also quite talented. So, till Hardik returns, there are two or three combinations we might utilize, according to Dravid.</p>
<p>No matter what bowling lineup India chooses for the match against New Zealand, they cannot afford to have Thakur as one of the five frontline bowling options because of his lack of bite, control, and penetration with the ball. He is only a sure thing to be in the starting lineup if Pandya is doing the bulk of the work with the ball.</p>
<p> </p>
