Shardul Thakur in the Pre-match Conference talked about how he felt after losing the spot in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Squad of Team India. The Talented All-rounder described it as a Big Setback. Like many other cricketers, His dream was also to play the Biggest Cricketing Tournament, the World Cup.
Allrounder Shardul Thakur has termed missing the chance to represent India at the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as a ‘big setback’ as, like others, he also dreamt of playing at the showpiece event. However, he’s not moping around and instead shifted his focus on the ODI World Cup next year which will be played in India.
It’s a Big Setback, Every Player Dreams to Play in World Cup: Shardul Thakur
Shardul said, “Of course, it’s a big setback. Every player dreams to play in the World Cup, not just play but win it as well.” He continued, “It’s okay I’m not selected this time. But there’s still a lot of cricket left and also there’s the ODI World Cup next year. My focus will be to do well in whatever matches I play and make winning contributions.”
However, with the series of injuries that the Indian team has been already affected by in the lead-up to the tournament, Shardul Thakur would be quietly keeping himself mentally ready should there be a scenario when he’s asked to link up with the India squad in Australia. India already have been dealt a big setback in the form of Jasprit Bumrah who has been ruled out of the marquee event that starts on October 16.
In the past week, the former champions have received more concerning developments regarding the fitness of left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh who sat out of a match after complaining of discomfort in his back.
On Saturday, the BCCI announced that Deepak Chahar has been ruled out of the ongoing three-match ODI series against South Africa due to back stiffness. Chahar is on the list of standby players for the T20 World Cup.
Talking about the injuries, Shardul said, “Injuries are part and parcel of the game, at some point, someone is going to get injured. We should not take it by heart honestly. There is a lot more cricket to come,”.
He further added, “If injuries happen then anyone can come at any point in time. As of now, your responsibility is to be ready whenever and wherever you’re asked to play. I will be mentally ready if I’m given a call-up. That’s all in my hands.”