IND vs ENG: Shardul Thakur could swing back

Shardul Thakur celebrates the wicket of England’s Jos Buttler on Day Four of the first Test at Nottingham recently. Pic/Getty Images

Leg-spinner-turned-television commentator Laxman Sivaramakrishnan reckons bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who missed the Lord's Test because of a hamstring injury, will make a comeback in place of Ishant Sharma at Leeds on August 25.

Ishant claimed five wickets at Lord's, while Thakur took four in Nottingham.

‘Thakur can bat too'

"If the first match, Shardul played ahead of Ishant and if Shardul is fit, he is likely to come back, because Headingley will help swing bowlers a lot more. Ishant is more of a hit-the-deck bowler. He bowls back of the length, whereas Shardul bowls much fuller, very similar to Mohammed Siraj. Shardul can bat a bit too so I am guessing Shardul will get the nod ahead of Ishant," Siva said during a virtual media interaction on Thursday.

Laxman Sivaramakrishnan

On the batting front, though openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul gave India a solid start in the last two Tests, Siva does not see the pair as a long-term investment.

Regular opener Mayank Agarwal missed out on the opportunity when he got injured in the nets ahead of the first Test and had to sit out. However, Rohit (36) and Rahul (84) shared a 97-run opening stand in the drawn first Test at Nottingham. Both provided a strong foundation with a 126-run opening partnership during the 151-run win at Lord's with Rohit scoring 83 and Rahul a magnificent 129.

"We will have to see options how we can get along because Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane did their job [45 and 61 respectively] in the last game. But you want stability; you know they are 33 years of age. You'd want to groom some youngsters so Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill will come along the way. Probably, Prithvi might get to open at some stage and Shubman can bat at No.3 in place of Pujara. So, we will probably see a few things happening going forward. But at the moment, KL and Rohit with their brilliant performance, will be part of this series," said Siva.

Siva backs Surya

When asked whether Shaw could be an option for the middle-order, Siva, 55, batted for Suryakumar Yadav, who has yet to make his Test debut. "I don't think they [team management] will consider him [Shaw] for a middle-order batting slot. I think Suryakumar is a better middle-order batsman. He has done a lot and plays very well at No.5 and No.6. He can take the attack to the opposition and accelerate run-scoring. If you are going to play four fast bowlers, you need somebody who is aggressive and can get quick runs. If at all Prithvi plays, he will open the innings. If somebody needs to come in the middle-order, it is Suryakumar," remarked Siva.

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