Reports: Shardul Thakur is track to play for Mumbai in the Irani Cup after surgery

During IPL 2024, India all-rounder Shardul Thakur sustained an ankle injury that kept him out of the game for four months. After having surgery in London on June 12, he just returned to competitive cricket by playing for Mumbai in the Dr. K Thimmappiah Memorable Tournament in Bengaluru, where he faced off against the KSCA Secretary’s XI.

During his eight overs of bowling in the game, he gave up 29 runs without making any progress. Shardul flopped even with the bat, recording a duck. But according to rumours, he would probably play for Mumbai in the upcoming Irani Cup, which starts on October 1 at Lucknow’s BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium. After Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy, it was originally scheduled to take place at the Wankhede Stadium, but the monsoon season caused a change in location.

Shardul hasn’t fully recovered from his injury, hence he missed the Duleep Trophy season. He is currently in much better shape and is anticipated to be called up by Mumbai for the Irani Cup, according to The Times of India. Notably, the 32-year-old participated in the Ranji Trophy 2024 with Mumbai’s team. The cricketer hit a vital century against Tamil Nadu in the semi-final and a fifty against Vidarbha in the final, despite his lacklustre performance with the ball.

Shardul Thakur in contention for Border-Gavaskar Trophy?

When it comes to red-ball cricket, Thakur is not in the picture right now. But the all-rounder can be taken into consideration if he does very well in both the domestic season and the forthcoming Irani Cup. For the five-match Test series against Australia later in the year, India will be looking to acquire an all-rounder, and Shardul can support that position with steady play.

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Hardik Pandya is not viewed by the BCCI as a red-ball possibility, which gives Shardul an opportunity to profit. Given the Mumbai all-rounder’s batting skills and the likelihood that the pacers won’t play every game in the series, he can participate in the selection process. He will need to establish himself with the ball, though.