DUBAI: Former India batsman VVS Laxman said that Team India requires Shardul Thakur to get the balance in the eleven right for an all-important game against New Zealand in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Laxman also said that he would prefer Shardul Thakur in the playing XI in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
India and New Zealand will lock horns in 'Super 12' stage of the tournament on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both sides will enter the contest after suffering a loss against Pakistan.
"I would go for Shardul Thakur because Shardul can give runs with the bat, and he's a wicket-taking option. It also increases the depth in the batting line-up. So I would definitely go with Shardul ahead of Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar)," Laxman said on Star Sports' show 'Game Plan'.
"He (Bhuvneshwar) is an experienced bowler, but if you think about the balance and the combination of the playing eleven, I would probably prefer Shardul over Bhuvi," Laxman added.
Both New Zealand and India have so far played just one game each, which both ended up losing against Pakistan.
Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma has also said that India should include Thakur in the squad instead of Bhuvneshwar.
"As we know India's bowling attack was quite weak in the match against Pakistan, so now I think that the team should go for Shardul Thakur in Bhuvi's place, and Ravichandran Ashwin should be included instead of Varun Chakravarthy," Rajkumar had told ANI.
