Former Pakistan player Danish Kaneria believes that bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur should not have been in India’s playing XI for the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final against Australia. Kaneria said that instead of going with four pace bowlers, they should have played Ravichandran Ashwin in Thakur’s place. He also suggested that India went wrong tactically by electing to bowl first after winning the toss at The Oval.
Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel: “India disappointed yet again, losing their second WTC final. They went back empty-handed. It was a poor performance. Their first mistake was electing to bowl first, the second was not playing Ashwin. The third mistake was going in with four fast bowlers. Shardul Thakur didn’t deserve a place in the playing XI, and Ashwin should have been added in his place.”
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Notably, Shardul Thakur did a great job with the ball, picking up the key wickets of David Warner and Steve Smith in Australia’s first innings as well. However, he went wicketless and bowled only eight overs in the second innings. But he did well with the bat, walking out to bat at No. 8 in India’s first innings, he scored 51 runs off 109 balls.
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On the other hand, Indian opener Shubman Gill’s dismissal in the fourth innings of the WTC 2023 finals witnessed a major controversy, with several fans and cricket pundits suggesting that he was unfairly given out. Danish Kaneria said, “Shubman Gill’s dismissal was a very controversial one. The third umpire should have given it not out, as it was very evident that the ball touched the grass.”
