IND vs ENG: 'Give him that freedom', Ajinkya Rahane urges Shubman Gill to use all-rounder more effectively in second Test

Time of India

5 hours ago

File photo of Ajinkya Rahane.
Former India player
Ajinkya Rahane
has urged captain
Shubman Gill
to give more bowling opportunities to all-rounder
Shardul Thakur
, following India's 5-wicket loss to England in the opening Test at Headingley, Leeds. Thakur's performance was notably poor, scoring only five runs across two innings and claiming just two wickets in his limited 16 overs of bowling during the match.
Rahane emphasised the crucial role of an all-rounder in the team through his YouTube channel, specifically addressing Thakur's underutilisation in the recent Test match.
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"I feel an all-rounder's role is very important. Shardul Thakur has been an experienced player and has done well in Test cricket overseas. I want to see more overs from Shardul. If the Indian team can use Shardul Thakur in a better way, that will be really great.
Whatever I have seen with him, he can swing the ball both ways and is a wicket-taker. If Shardul can bowl the first change or even given the new ball he can swing it both ways," Rahane said.
Rahane suggested specific bowling strategy changes to maximise Thakur's effectiveness on the field.
"With the Dukes ball, it generally starts to behave after 10 or 12 overs. If Shardul can start the bowling with Bumrah and Siraj can come in as one change, that will be great.
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I would like to see Shardul bowling more overs. Give him that freedom, he will get you more wickets," he added.
If Shardul can start the bowling with Bumrah and Siraj can come in as one change, that will be great
Ajinkya Rahane
While commending Bumrah's performance, Rahane also highlighted the need for better support from other bowlers. "Bumrah's five wicket-haul in the first innings was amazing. Apart from his five wickets what I liked about Bumrah was his intent. The way he was running in his run-up. His intensity throughout his bowling was amazing.
The lines and lengths that he bowled. He was aggressive throughout in his bowling approach," Rahane stated.
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"What I would like to see is support from the other end. Bumrah is obviously bowling his attacking lengths but if he can support from Siraj and Prasidh, that will be great for him. You don't want Bumrah to go under pressure and start bowling too many overs and the pressure comes on the team. I want to see Siraj taking that responsibility and also Prasidh if he plays that second Test match," he concluded.
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