Shardul Thakur To Join India A Squad In South Africa, Suryakumar Yadav Included For New Zealand Tests: Reports

As per reports in Indian Express, Shardul Thakur will join India A squad before their third game against South Africa A while Suryakumar Yadav has been asked to stay back for the two-Test matches against New Zealand. The first Test between both sides will be played between November 25-29.

Shardul Thakur, meanwhile, was given a break by the BCCI for playing continuous cricket over the last six months. He was not a part of the Indian T20I squad that played the Kiwis. Thakur will also not feature in the Test series. The Indian all-rounder played key roles in Test series win over Australia and later against England at home.

Reports in Indian Express also says that coach Rahul Dravid wants his players to have some game time before they play an international match. The series against South Africa will be Dravid’s first overseas tour as coach.

I Saw Tremendous Improvement In Shardul Thakur: Bharat Arun

Previously, former Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun spoke about the importance of Shardul Thakur in the Indian squad. He said that Thakur’s astute understanding of the game to go with his all-round skills will prove beneficial for the team in the near future.

The former bowling coach Bharat Arun had raved about the importance of Thakur. “Shardul Thakur is coming along superbly. Just imagine the pressure and how well he has coped and grabbed them. Each match, I see tremendous improvement – bowling and batting. Knocks in Brisbane and Leeds were amazing, no? And he is a pretty intelligent bowler – a lovely out swinger at close to 140 kmphs and a well-directed bouncer. He is a good thinker, not afraid to speak his mind, fearless and you need players like him in a team environment,” Arun told this newspaper.

The Indian squad for South Africa tour is likely to be picked after the first test against New Zealand. Meanwhile, the reason behind SKY’s inclusion in the team is yet to be understood.

He is now in the race for a spot alongside, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer. With Rohit Sharma not being a part of the Test squad, it will be interesting as to who opens for India in the first Test in Kanpur.

---