Centurion: India’s bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, who gets the first preference over Ravichandran Ashwin in away Tests suffered a blow on his shoulder while batting in the nets on Saturday. There is now uncertainty over Shardul's availability for the second Test against South Africa.
Men in Blue face another injury scare ahead of the second test in Cape Town scheduled to start from January 3 as they are already missing services of Mohammed Shami due to an injury. However, the extent of the hit could be ascertained through scanning if required, but it couldn't be confirmed if his injury warrants scans.
The 32-year-old got hit when he was facing the throw downs from the batting coach Vikram Rathour in the nets as a good length delivery kicked up after hitting the surface and crashed into his left shoulder. However, he continued to bat in the nets but was seen in discomfort later and was struggling to bowl during the net session.
The intensity of the injury is not clear but it will be interesting to see how quickly it subsides.
During the first Test, Thakur faced a blow on his helmet while facing a short delivery from Kagiso Rabada during the first innings. It was clearly visible to naked eyes that his forehead was swollen.
Thakur had an average first Test especially with the ball, leaking away over 100 runs in just 19 overs, but added crucial 26 runs with the bat when India were struggling 121/6 in the first innings. (With agency inputs)
Also read
Conclusion:
