Shardul Thakur in action for the Indian cricket team© X (formerly Twitter)
Former Indian cricket team pacer Doda Ganesh launched a scathing attack on Shardul Thakur during the 2023 Cricket World Cup match against Bangladesh in Pune on Thursday. In Hardik Pandya’s absence due to injury, Shardul bowled 9 overs and ultimately conceded 59 runs at an economy rate of 6.60. The all-rounder took the wicket of Towhid Hridoy but Ganesh was not impressed with what he provided for the side. The former Indian cricketer said on social media that Shardul would not even make the cut for Karnataka’s 11th player in domestic cricket based on bowling alone.
“With all due respect to Shardul Thakur, on his bowling alone he would struggle to make it to Karnataka’s Xl game in any format, let alone India’s,” he posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
With all due respect to Shardul Thakur, in bowling alone he would struggle to match Karnataka’s Xl game in any format, let alone India’s #CWC23
– Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) October 19, 2023
Shardul did not play the first match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup against Australia, but he replaced Ravichandran Ashwin for the second match and has played every match since.
Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century sealed India’s fourth win from four World Cup matches as the hosts defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets on Thursday, with the star batsman closing in on Sachin Tendulkar’s record for ODI hundreds.
Kohli reached his century and ended the match in style with a six against spinner Nasum Ahmed as he needed three runs to complete his century and India needed two more runs to reach the target of 257.
They got there with more than eight overs to spare and finished at 261-3.
Kohli’s 48th one-day international century left him just one step away from equaling Indian great Tendulkar’s record of 49 hundreds at this level.
Kohli faced 97 balls, including six fours and four sixes, with his third score of over fifty in four innings this century, after contributions of 85 and 55 not out in recent pool wins against Australia and Afghanistan.
But a third defeat in four matches left Bangladesh with an uphill battle to qualify for the semi-finals.
(With AFP inputs)
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