Former England captain Michael Atherton told Shardul Thakur to "do something" during the 53rd over of England's second innings or else the Headingley Test could be "the last" of his career. Shardul Thakur performed a Shardul Thakur in his subsequent over. He eliminated Ben Duckett out of nowhere, and on the very next delivery, he dismissed Harry Brook for a golden duck.

A 128 kmph floater outside off-stump was the delivery that struck Duckett. The left-hander, who was at 149, saw this as a chance to reach his 150 with a thunderous drive, but this time, it wasn't as well-placed as Duckett would have liked. Nitish Kumar Reddy (substitute fielder) made a great catch of the ball in the air to the left of the cover fielder.

After taking a few steps, Harry Brook exited at number five, entered a strangle, and was caught down the leg side. Both balls might have (should have) gone for four, but instead they resulted in wickets. That has been Shardul Thakur's issue. He seldom bowls balls that really take wickets, which is necessary to be considered a top Test seamer.

Shardul never posed a serious threat to any of the English batsmen, as even Indian supporters would concur, if you disregard those two wickets that were fortunate breakthroughs.

The strongest evidence was 38 runs for 6 overs with no wickets in the first innings and 52 runs for two wickets in 10 overs in the second. When Shardul isn't having fortunate breakthroughs, he leaks runs at a rate of over five runs per over.

In the Headingley Test, he was also chosen for his lower-order batting, which yielded 1 run in the first innings and 4 in the second. His batting average of 18 in England and Australia doesn't inspire much trust, despite his success with the bat there.

Gambhir and Shubman Gill should leave Shardul Thakur and select Kuldeep Yadav, according to Manjrekar

As a result, Sanjay Manjrekar, the former Indian batsman, advised India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill to bench Shardul Thakur for the second Test in Birmingham.

After India lost the first Test by five wickets, Manjrekar stated on JioHostar, "I'm sorry, but Shardul Thakur has to go out."

Although Nitish Kumar Reddy is another seam-bowling all-rounder in India who can take Shardul's place, Manjrekar advised India to use a proper bowler like Kuldeep Yadav.

"I believe Kuldeep Yadav needs to return." Unfortunately, India will have to make that change. Regarding Nitish Kumar Reddy, I only supported him for the first Test because of his performance in Australia. It's not a well-liked decision because his arrival has a little impact on the equilibrium. India must make a difficult decision because his bowling style is not exactly that of a fourth seamer; they must prioritize quality bowlers, even in English conditions. If that means using two spinners, so be it. Regardless of the circumstances, choose your top bowlers. "You don't have the luxury of someone like Mohammed Shami at your disposal, or the full-strength pace battery, so I'd go one seamer short and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the XI," Manjrekar said.

The former Indian batsman reminded that the dry English summers and England captain Ben Stokes's approach will undoubtedly make spin a factor in the third and fourth innings. He has to play. Let us also recognize that, maybe as a result of climate change, English summers are now mostly dry, which creates an opportunity for spin. In a sense, it's time to revive the notion of India playing spin in England.

Manjrekar lauded England captain Ben Stokes and advised Gambhir and Gill to infuse his "common sense" into India's approach in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

With his practical, aggressive style of play, Ben Stokes has already altered the narrative. India must embrace the same clarity. No matter where India played—whether in New Zealand or England—there was a time when they would always employ three spinners. Play Kuldeep if he is in your group. Just because you're playing in England, don't go with seamers. Kuldeep Yadav should replace one seamer.

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