The Indian cricket team management has effectively drawn curtains on Shardul Thakur's Test career, with Coach Gautam Gambhir confirming the team's intention to move forward with newcomer Nitish Reddy.
The decision, announced ahead of the team's departure for Perth, marks a significant transition in the team's approach to all-rounder selection.
Thakur, 33, who had been an integral part of several historic victories, including the triumphant Border Gavaskar Trophy campaign in Australia in 2020-2021, now finds himself on the outside looking in.
'It (the decision to pick Nitish ahead of Shardul) is also about moving forward and I feel that this is the best set of players that we have selected to do the job for the country,' Gambhir told the media on Monday, November 11, 2024, leaving little room for interpretation about the team's future direction.
Thakur's Test career, though relatively brief, has been marked by several memorable performances.
After making his debut in 2018, he overcame multiple injury setbacks to deliver crucial performances, most notably his outstanding contribution at the Gabba Test where he scored 67 and claimed 7 wickets.
His aggressive batting style was particularly evident in England, where he recorded the fastest half-century on English soil, reaching 57 off just 36 balls at the Oval in 2021. His also picked a five-wicket haul at the Wanderers against South Africa in 2022.
However, the BCCI's focus has now shifted to 21-year-old Nitish Reddy, who caught the selectors' attention with an impressive outings in IPLs 2023 and 2024. Gambhir expressed confidence in the young talent, stating, 'Nitish Reddy, we all know how incredibly talented he is and if given an option, he will deliver for us.'
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