Shardul will have to compete with Hardik for his place in Indian playing XI, feels Scott Styris

New Delhi:  Former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris feels Shardul Thakur has the ability to hit boundaries, close out innings but he isn’t as good as Hardik Pandya and the pacer will have to compete with the star all-rounder for his place in the playing XI of a full-strength Indian team.

Hardik, who has been in sensational form and played a match-winning knock in the series-decider 3rd ODI against England, has been given a break from the three 50-over matches against the West Indies. On the other hand, Shardul has been named in the 16-member Indian squad for the ODI series, beginning on Friday.

Speaking exclusively on SPORTS18’s daily sports news show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’, former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris feels Shardul Thakur will have to fight for his place with the emergence of Hardik Pandya.

“That’s the one thing he has at his advantage is the fact that he bats, and we’ve seen him play many match-winning innings for India, usually in the longer versions of the game. But he does possess that ability to hit boundaries, close out innings or put the final touches, the cherry on the top if you like is one thing that he does have to his advantage,” Styris said on SPORTS18’s show ‘SPORTS OVER THE TOP’.

“The downside is the emergence of Hardik Pandya as a genuine all-rounder. Do you need two of those styles of players? Because Shardul Thakur isn’t as good as Hardik Pandya. I don’t believe he is an all-rounder. So maybe he’s fighting for a backup spot rather than one of those players to play as a front liner,” he added.

The former Kiwi cricketer further discussed Prasidh Krishna’s capabilities and talent in the limited over formats.

“Yeah, not a bad comparison. I would say that Prasidh Krishna is a little bit quicker than Glen McGrath, there’s no question about that. But the question is, can he sustain that throughout the whole innings? If we’re talking ODIs then upfront I think there’s no question. Pace and bounce as a batsman, from experience, is the hardest thing to play. He’s got that in spades. He’s brilliant with a new ball in his hand,” he said.

Styris also said that he is keen to see how Prasidh performs at the death overs in the next 12 months.

“The question about Prasidh Krishna is at the death. We’ve seen him in the Indian T20 league. He has gone around the park when trying to bowl yorkers and when he is under pressure. So, he’s great at the front. I think the next 12 months are big for his development. Can he nail the back half of the innings? If he does that, I’ll actually have him on my side,” he concluded.

–IANS