Widely known for his point-blank opinions apart from his cricketing achievements, former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir has provided another example of the former by unambiguously dismissing the school of thought that Indian pacer Shardul Thakur can be considered as a like-for-like backup for ODI vice-captain Hardik Pandya.
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Gambhir, who was discussing India’s recently announced Asia Cup 2023 squad at Star Sports Network, made the claim over eight years after he had registered an altercation with Thakur in the second quarterfinal of Ranji Trophy 2014/15 to add to his numerous rivalries both in international cricket and the Indian Premier League.
Gautam Gambhir Believes Shardul Thakur Can’t Be Hardik Pandya’s Backup In ODIs
With Shardul Thakur part of a five-man Indian pace-bowling lineup and Pandya a solitary specialist pace-bowling all-rounder, it is to be noted that the panel at Star was pondering if Thakur could cover up as a replacement for the latter, if needed.
First things first, Pandya is absolutely fit at the moment. Having said that, it is to be noted that his workload has been carefully managed since a back surgery. Either Pandya is rested for a series or two in between or he hasn’t completed his quota of overs on a regular basis in the last two years.
Such a cushion, however, is highly unlikely to be provided during ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 where he faces a challenge of playing a maximum of 11 ODIs within one-and-a-half months. With the Asia Cup and a three-match ODI series against Australia to be played in the build-up to the World Cup, one wouldn’t want the Indian combination to go for a toss by resting the deputy in the name of workload management.
Therefore, Thakur is the closest among the current 17-member squad to replicate Pandya’s role. That said, Gautam Gambhir, as a non-believer of Thakur’s dual abilities, isn’t a supporter of this notion. Instead, the 41-year old player recommended the name of Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube.
“One name they [selectors] should have definitely considered is Shivam Dube because of the kind of form he is in. You need a backup for Hardik Pandya. Shardul Thakur can’t be that. Shardul Thakur cannot be Hardik’s backup.”
If truth be told, one can’t entirely disagree with Gambhir Thakur with respect to Thakur. An all-rounder in making at best at the moment, the 31-year old player is yet to generate confidence which will promote him to No. 6 in the batting order in an ODI World Cup without any apprehension.
As far as Thakur’s Mumbai teammate Dube is concerned, one believes even he needs to do better despite a solid IPL 2023 to deserve a comeback into the ODI squad. The fact that his lone ODI had been played almost four years ago is enough an explanation of his position in the current pecking order.
Gautam Gambhir And Shardul Thakur Had Clashed In A Ranji Trophy Match
While there’s no dearth of Gautam Gambhir’s heated on-field battles, an average cricket fan wouldn’t remember him clashing with Shardul Thakur on a cricket field. Having never represented the country in the same match, Gambhir and Thakur’s head-to-head T20 encounters are limited to just a solitary outing.
However, first-class cricket is a field where the two have locked horns, both literally and metaphorically. Adding to the fierce nature of the Delhi-Mumbai rivalry in domestic cricket, Gambhir and Thakur were at each other’s throats at the DRIEMS Ground in February 2015.
Chasing a 441-run target, Gambhir was the third Delhi batter to be dismissed on Day 4 with the innings score not even touching the 100-run mark. While his frustration with himself as a captain and the umpire’s LBW decision wasn’t surprising, Thakur surprised one and all by daring to chirp something in Gambhir’s ears as part of his celebration.
Not the one to go down without a fight, there was no way an irked Gambhir would’ve given the cold shoulder to Thakur in such a heated situation. Readers must note that Gambhir had played 240 out of his 242 international matches across formats until then. Uncapped Thakur, on the other hand, was just into his third domestic season.
What followed was Gambhir walking towards Thakur and other Mumbai cricketers with a half-raised bat. The situation had calmed a bit only after both the umpires and Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav (Gambhir’s teammate and later deputy at Kolkata Knight Riders) intervened in between before the left-handed batter returned to the pavilion.
