Shardul Thakur vs Nitish Reddy: Harbhajan Singh picks his choice for England Tests
'India needs a bowler who can bat a bit. The batting line-up extends till No. 7, and at No. 8, you need someone who can take wickets and contribute with the bat—not just a batsman who bowls a little,' Harbhajan said.advertisement'That's where I think Shardul has an edge over Nitish Reddy. Nitish is a proper batsman who can definitely bowl, but we haven't seen much of his bowling in the IPL.''Gautam (Gambhir) is there. He's a very capable coach, and I'm confident he'll make the right decision,' he added.ADVANTAGE SHARDUL?As Harbhajan pointed out, Nitish bowled only five overs across 13 matches during the 2025 IPL season. However, the young all-rounder has been working hard to increase his bowling workload ahead of the England Test series.Both Shardul and Nitish featured in India's two four-day warm-up matches earlier this month but struggled with the ball. That said, Shardul stood out in the intra-squad match between India and India A, scoring a century on Day 3 to complement a solid bowling display.Shardul also brings with him valuable red-ball experience in English conditions. The Mumbai all-rounder has taken 10 wickets in four Tests in England, including a four-wicket haul during the 2021–22 series.Known for his knack of breaking crucial partnerships, Shardul bowled over 200 overs in the domestic season, taking 35 wickets in nine matches in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, giving him greater bowling mileage and match fitness.Meanwhile, Harbhajan also voiced support for playing both Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav in the first Test at Headingley, suggesting that a two-spinner strategy could prove effective in English conditions.INDIA'S TEST SQUAD FOR THE ENGLAND TOURadvertisementBatters: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun NairWicketkeepers: Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (vice-captain)All-rounders: Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Ravindra JadejaBowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj You May Also Like
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Gambhir transferred his fighting spirit to us: Shardul Thakur
On a tense final day at The Oval, India's young Test side pulled off a stunning 6-run victory over England, a result that helped them square the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2. Shardul Thakur, who was part of India's Test team in England, praised head coach Gautam Gambhir. "We have always seen him as a player who is willing to fight for the team, and even during the huddles, he transferred that energy into us, the same energy that he brought into the field during his playing days," Shardul said while speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz. "He is an achiever who has won trophies for the nation and the state. And he brings all those experiences and motivations into the team. Criticism will come and go, but as a team, winning matters, and I believe we are heading in the right direction when it comes to that," Thakur noted. India's challenge was daunting. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket, and Mohammed Shami unavailable, the squad leaned heavily on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for experience. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were the experienced names in batting. "When your backs are against the wall, there is no going back, and that was the situation," Shardul explained. "This team had no other option than to rise and put up a fight, because at the end of the day, you are representing India," he added. He credits Gambhir for instilling belief, 'Even our team huddles had Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) Bhai saying: 'You are lucky to be representing your country.' Maybe young, but we are here because of our talent and as our coach said: 'If you have the belief, then there is no opponent you cannot beat. If it's your day, you can take any side down, based on how badly you want it.'' For Shardul, the hunger of the younger players was decisive, "When youngsters are in the team, they would do anything to showcase their talent in front of the world. I guess that's what lifted the morale of the team and kept our team going." Thakur also opened up on the final Test at The Oval. England needed 35 runs on the last day with four wickets in hand. India needed belief. "What happened on day four was that the old ball still had its shine, and it was swinging, so it helped us to get those two crucial wickets of Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell. It was Joe Root's wicket next, and then it was time for the next day," Shardul recalled. "The full team was on the same page that we are going to win this one. Our huddle was also plain and simple -- Gauti Bhai asked us to keep the belief that we can do it," he said. "(Mohammed) Siraj and Prasidh (Krishna) were in their spells, so it was also important for them to have a good start, which they did. Loads of credit go to Siraj and Prasidh for getting those important wickets and the way they pushed their bodies, especially Siraj after playing all five Tests. It was all about building the pressure, and one of the teams had to falter under that pressure. I feel India came out with flying colours," he added.
New Indian Express
4 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Arsenal wins 1-0 at Man United as Chelsea held by Palace in Premier League opener
Arsenal kept at bay Manchester United's expensively assembled forward line and scored again from a set piece to win 1-0 in the marquee match in the opening round of the Premier League on Sunday. Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori nodded in from close range in the 13th minute after United back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayındır — starting ahead of Andre Onana — flapped at the ball from a corner whipped in by Declan Rice. While Arsenal followed likely title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in claiming an opening-weekend victory, United fell to a loss that is all-to-familiar under Ruben Amorim following a woeful 15th-place finish last season by English soccer's fallen giant. United spent around 200 million pounds ($270 million) on revamping its attack in the offseason, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha starting the match and Benjamin Sesko coming off the bench in the second half. While the team played with a good intensity at Old Trafford, Arsenal's strong defense stood firm. 'For me, there was more sign of hope than what we got from the game,' United captain Bruno Fernandes said. Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres was substituted in the 60th minute in an underwhelming first competitive start for Arsenal, whose goal came from a familiar route with Mikel Arteta's team so imposing from set-piece situations in recent seasons. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Arsenal has scored 31 goals from corners — more than any other Premier League team, according to Opta, the league's statistics supplier. 'We know we could have lost the game but football is like this,' Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya said. 'Days like this is when the three points count.' Chelsea also failed to score in its opening league game, held 0-0 by Crystal Palace in its first competitive match as the club world champion. A month after stunning Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea toiled at Stamford Bridge after a short preseason because of its exertions in the United States. Eze's farewell? Eberechi Eze has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham so the England midfielder might have been making his final appearance for Palace. He almost marked it with a goal. In the 13th minute, Eze smashed a direct free kick past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from the edge of the area but the goal was ruled out after a video review spotted an infringement by Palace captain Marc Guehi as he attempted to push aside Chelsea's Moises Caicedo in the defensive wall. The Premier League confirmed Guehi was standing less than one meter (yard) from the wall as the shot was taken, which is not allowed. Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, stars for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, were quiet. The hosts lacked intensity because they've only been back in training for a couple of weeks, while Palace has had a long preseason and was coming off beating Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield last weekend. Wood starts hot for Forest Nottingham Forest hit the ground running with a 3-1 win over Brentford, with striker Chris Wood, the team's top scorer last season with 20 goals, netting twice in the first half either side of a goal on debut by Dan Ndoye. Wood started quickly last season in the best goalscoring top-flight campaign of his career and he needed just five minutes to open his account this time round, making the most of a poor clearance at a corner to poke home a finish. Ndoye headed in a second in the 42nd minute and Wood rounded the goalkeeper in first-half stoppage time to stroke in a third. Igor Thiago converted a late penalty for a consolation for Brentford, which might struggle this season after selling star forward Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and not having first-choice striker Yoane Wissa available. Wissa has been linked with a move to Newcastle. Jota tribute All matches on Sunday featured a period of silence before kickoff as a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, the brothers who were killed in a car crash in Spain last month. Jota was a player for Liverpool at the time.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Arsenal wins 1-0 at Man United as Chelsea held by Palace in Premier League
Arsenal kept at bay Manchester United's expensively assembled forward line and scored again from a set piece to win 1-0 in the marquee match in the opening round of the Premier League on Sunday (August 17, 2025). Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori nodded in from close range in the 13th minute after United back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir — starting ahead of Andre Onana — flapped at the ball from a corner whipped in by Declan Rice. While Arsenal followed likely title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in claiming an opening-weekend victory, United fell to a loss that is all-to-familiar under Ruben Amorim following a woeful 15th-place finish last season by English soccer's fallen giant. United spent around 200 million pounds ($270 million) on revamping its attack in the offseason, with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha starting the match and Benjamin Sesko coming off the bench in the second half. While the team played with a good intensity at Old Trafford, Arsenal's strong defence stood firm. At the other end, Viktor Gyokeres endured a difficult first competitive start for Arsenal, whose goal came from a familiar route with Mikel Arteta's team so imposing from set-piece situations in recent seasons. Chelsea also failed to score in its opening league game, held 0-0 by Crystal Palace in its first competitive match as the club world champion. A month after stunning Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final, Chelsea toiled at Stamford Bridge after a short preseason because of its exertions in the United States. Eze's farewell? Eberechi Eze has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham so the England midfielder might have been making his final appearance for Palace. He almost marked it with a goal. In the 13th minute, Eze smashed a direct free kick past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from the edge of the area but the goal was ruled out after a video review spotted an infringement by Palace captain Marc Guehi as he attempted to push aside Chelsea's Moises Caicedo in the defensive wall. The Premier League confirmed Guehi was standing less than one meter (yard) from the wall as the shot was taken, which is not allowed. Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, stars for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, were quiet. The hosts lacked intensity because they've only been back in training for a couple of weeks, while Palace has had a long preseason and was coming off beating Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield last weekend. Wood starts hot for Forest Nottingham Forest hit the ground running with a 3-1 win over Brentford, with striker Chris Wood — the team's top scorer last season with 20 goals — netting twice in the first half either side of a goal on debut by Dan Ndoye. Wood started quickly last season in the best goalscoring top-flight campaign of his career and he needed just five minutes to open his account this time round, making the most of a poor clearance at a corner to poke home a finish. Ndoye headed in a second in the 42nd minute and Wood rounded the goalkeeper in first-half stoppage time to stroke in a third. Igor Thiago converted a late penalty for a consolation for Brentford, which might struggle this season after selling star forward Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and not having first-choice striker Yoane Wissa available. Wissa has been linked with a move to Newcastle. Jota tribute All matches on Sunday featured a period of silence before kickoff as a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, the brothers who were killed in a car crash in Spain last month. Jota was a player for Liverpool at the time.
