India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane expectedly didn't divulge the playing combination but did drop a hint that Shardu Thakur's impressive lower-order batting could be used during the five-Test series against England, starting August 4. (More Cricket News)
Asked, who among bowlers is the best bet with the willow and may be fill-up for Hardik Pandya's absence, Rahane named fellow Mumbaikar Thakur, who recently scored a half-century and took 7 wickets against Australia in his second Test in Brisbane.
"Everyone is different. Hardik what he did in 2018 was different for us. Shardul can bat. You have seen Shardul bat in Australia and he did well in domestic cricket as well," Rahane said about Thakur, who has seven first-class half-centuries but at a modest average of 16.58.
"(Jasprit) Bumrah , (Mohd) Shami, (Mohd) Siraj, Umesh (Yadav) and Ishant (Sharma) are putting in the effort in the nets. Whatever 20-30 runs we score in end, matters a lot.
"It's good that they are wanting to bat for at least 10-12 minutes in the nets. See result comes later and what is important is process and working hard and contribute as a member of the team. We are hoping for some contributions from our tail-enders."
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