“Lord Shardul Thakur is back! Dhoni has started his work” – Fans on Twitter rejoice at Team India’s squad change for T20 World Cup

By Adam D Anglo On Oct 13, 2021

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the only change in India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, with Shardul Thakur replacing Axar Patel in the main team. Patel, a left-arm off-spinner, has now joined Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Chahar in the reserves.

Shardul Thakur’s addition is being seen as a backup for all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who hasn’t bowled in months and has been plagued by constant fitness issues. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder, on the other hand, has been at his best in the ongoing IPL 2021, having already grabbed 18 wickets at an average of 27.17. His batting ability is now beyond suspicion after the recent India-England Test series as well.

Meanwhile, Axar Patel seems to have gotten the ax because he had little chance of getting into the playing XI with Ravindra Jadeja also available in the team. It’s still unfortunate for the Delhi Capitals (DC) all-rounder as he is in brilliant form – 15 wickets in IPL 2021 at an average of 18.27 and an economy rate of 6.52.

Reacting to the announcement, while most fans rejoiced at the inclusion of their beloved ‘Lord’ Shardul Thakur (all with hilarious memes), some also questioned the team’s persistence with Ravichandran Ashwin and the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal despite the duo’s recent contrasting forms. The following are the best reactions:

If you think Shardul is actually a back up for Hardik. With Jaddu surely there Axar may not have made the first team. Explains the call.

BCCI does not select Lord Shardul. He selects himself.

@BCCI so Dhoni started doing his work. DC player out, CSK player in. #RIPCricket

Replacing Axar with Shardul a bad call. If it had to be done, it had to be done with Chahar or Ashwin. Can understand why Ashwin is there because there’s no other off spinner.But Axar was the superior spinner. Maybe second best after Varun. Disappointing call IMO. twitter.com/gurkiratsgill/…

This means Hardik is fit, Varun has no fitness issues and Rahul Chahar was held back for strategic reasons. Smart change because Shardul should always have been in the XV twitter.com/bcci/status/14…

Does Yuzvendra Chahal warrant a place in the Indian team?

Yuzvendra Chahal’s absence is being questioned because of his stunning form for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2021. The 31-year-old averaged 20.78 for his 18 wickets this season, constantly troubling batsmen in the middle overs while also keeping the economy rate in check at 7.06.

Meanwhile Rahul Chahar, who was part of the preliminary squad and has retained his place, lost his form in the second half of the IPL season. He picked up just two wickets in four games in the UAE and was soon dropped from the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) team as well. It will be interesting to see whether the youngster can make a comeback and justify his backing on the biggest stage.

Edited by Samya Majumdar