Owing to an ankle injury he suffered during the South Africa tour, India’s talented all-rounder, Shardul Thakur, has experienced setbacks and missed both domestic and national matches. It has been noticeable that Thakur is not playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy season or the current Test matches against England. Mumbai has encountered difficulties while Thakur awaits approval from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), despite their desire to start him against Kerala and Bengal.
Mumbai hoped, but the Return to Play (RTP) permission from the NCA was still pending. Following Centurion’s December 2023 loss to South Africa, Thakur was left off the squad, which gave Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna more opportunities. The prolonged clearance process has thwarted Mumbai’s hopes of seeing Thakur return to action, highlighting the difficulties associated with player rehabilitation and rule compliance in modern cricket situations.
The National Cricket Academy recommended that Shardul Thakur take a two-week break due to an ankle ailment. According to News18’s reporting on Mumbai head selector Raju Kulkarni, “He was in Bengaluru for further assessment and future course of action and is likely to be available for selection soon.”
“The NCA’s Return to Play (RTP) report against Shardul Thakur is still pending. We must adhere to the protocol, and as soon as the report is received, we will be able to pick him up for the Ranji Trophy. We have made the required arrangements for the time being and will only take him up once the NCA has submitted its report. Before our sixth-round game, we hope to receive the RTP,” he continued.
Shardul Thakur is ready for the crucial IPL in advance of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
After the 2023 ODI World Cup, the right-arm bowler for Mumbai played in two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches against Saurashtra and Tripura. That was his final outing for Mumbai. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) signed him recently for INR 4 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for 2024. His chances of making Team India’s 2024 T20 World Cup roster would be mostly dependent on how well he plays in the Indian Premier League. Selectors will be attentively monitoring his return to competitive cricket and his time in the IPL.
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