Shardul Thakur’s job should be to bowl at least two or three overs in the powerplay: Yusuf Pathan

Shardul Thakur. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

Two-time world cup winner Yusuf Pathan opined that pacer Shardul Thakur should bowl at least two to three overs for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the powerplay. Notably, the cricketer hasn’t bowled much in the ongoing IPL 2023 as KKR are mostly using him as an extra batter. However, Pathan wants that to change as Thakur, during his CSK days, had shown his capability to pick wickets with the new ball.

Thus, Pathan wants him to focus more on his bowling and wants KKR to use his experience as the cricketer had done well in Test and ODI cricket with the ball and thus deserved more chances for KKR in that role. Notably, he has picked up four wickets in eight matches so far and thus, there’s room for improvement for him at the moment.

“I wouldn’t say that he should be used more as a batter. If a lot of wickets fall early, you can then come in and score some crucial runs if you bat well. But his job should be to bowl at least two or three overs in the powerplay. He can then come back into the attack for the kill. He is an experienced bowler who has played Tests and ODIs as well. I’d like to see him focus on his bowling and get some wickets,” Pathan told ESPNCricinfo.

“KKR have used Shardul Thakur on some occasions, but he has proved to be very expensive,” Pathan said. “No captain would want a bowler to complete four overs in such a situation. This could be the only reason why he hasn’t bowled his full quota of overs in most games,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, in the match against Rajasthan, skipper Nitish Rana showed his trust in Shardul in the powerplay but the Mumbai-born cricketer leaked 14 runs in the process. Overall, he leaked 18 runs in 1.1 overs and thus, it needs to be seen if the team management trusts him with the ball going forward as the cricketer has bowled at an economy of 11.12 in the ongoing season.