Indian skipper Virat Kohli praised the all-rounder ability of Shardul Thakur and called him a ‘multi-dimensional’ cricketer. Kohli also stressed the importance of Thakur for India going ahead.

Shardul Thakur made his Test debut against West Indies back in 2018. His debut match was curtailed by an injury and it lasted only eight balls. He had to wait for more than two years to get another go in the Test cricket.

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He played a significant role in India’s historic Test win at Gabba against Australia earlier this year. Thakur picked seven wickets in the game along with an all-important fifty, which brought his ability as an all-rounder in limelight.

Talking about the same, Kohli mentioned him as a ‘multi-dimensional’ cricketer.

“Yes, he definitely can be created. He is already a multi-dimensional cricketer. And it’s all about him getting more and more confidence with performances like Brisbane and someone like him obviously brings a lot more balance to a test team or any other format of the game,” Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.

Thakur has a neck of scoring important runs with the bat while India’s famed bowling lineup comprising Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami has struggled to contribute with the bat.

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Indian skipper admitted of Thakur’s importance for Team India going ahead as a Test team.

“Hardik has done so well for us in the past, and right now he is getting back on track to bowling regularly. But, yeah these kinds of cricketers obviously help the team in a massive massive way and Shardul is a huge prospect for us and someone who is going to be very important not just in the series but moving forward as well,” the India captain added.

The first Test between England and India will be played in Nottingham from Wednesday, August 4, in Nottingham’s Trent Bridge.