Even though Kolkata Knight Riders included Shardul Thakur in their Playing 11 for their match against Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, their decision to not give him a single over to bowl did not go down well with several cricket experts and pundits. In fact, the all-rounder has just bowled 12 overs in his 6 matches this season.
Shardul did come in to bat at the number 3 position after KKR were invited to bat first but failed to create an impact, departing for a duck. Later, he wasn't utilised for a single over even when they lost the match with 13 balls to spare after having posted 179 batting first.
In a recent development, when KKR's Rahmanullah Gurbaz was asked about the fitness status of Shardul since he wasn't bowling much, he said that he wasn't aware but reckoned that it wasn't a fitness issue that was stopping Shardul from bowling.
"If you are not fit enough, then you will not play. It might be that the team doesn't need him to bowl. The captain knows it better. The coach and management know better than me. I can't say anything on this. This might be a special plan. They might have discussed it before the game. He might have liked to bat in the top order," Gurbaz said post KKR's 7-wicket loss to GT.
"He might not have been fit enough to bowl. I can't say anything on this. Coaches and captain know better than me,” Gurbaz added.
The Afghan cricketer was in fine form in the match against GT and played one of the best knocks of the season so far, scoring 39-ball 81 but none of the other batters batted at the same tempo and it was only the finishing touches from Andre Russell that helped the team post a competitve total which ultimately proved insufficient.