'Lord Shardul Thakur Is The Answer, Umran Malik Has Fallen Behind': Ex-India Opener's No Holds Barred Analysis On World Cup Squad

Shardul Thakur had a stellar third ODI against West Indies as he returned with career-best figures of 4/37 and helped India clinch the must-win tie for a series victory. He claimed eight wickets. With his performance against West Indies on Tuesday, Shardul also completed a half-century of wickets since the conclusion of the 2019 ODI World Cup. Interestingly, Shardul is the only bowler in the Indian team to have completed a half-century of scalps in this period. Following him are the likes of Kuldeep Yadav (46), Mohammed Siraj (43), and Yuzvendra Chahal (37).

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has made an interesting observation. "You need to praise Lord Thakur a lot. Lord Thakur has picked up the most wickets for India in ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. The good thing is that there is a place vacant for the World Cup. The question was who can be the fourth fast bowler after (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammad) Shami, and (Mohammed) Siraj," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

"It seems like Lord Thakur has become the answer to that question currently. Umran Malik has fallen behind in that list suddenly, although he might do well in the T20s and we start talking about him, but for now, it seems like Lord Thakur's World Cup looks almost confirmed."

With his performance in the ODI series, Shardul has improved his chances of getting picked in the Asia Cup and the following World Cup squads. However, with Jasprit Bumrah set to return, the competition for places in the team will be fierce.

At the end of the match, Shardul admitted to being delighted with what he achieved in the series.

"I am happy to have picked up eight wickets in this series. As a cricketer we wait for this opportunity for years, sometimes you perform,