Star All-Rounder Shardul Thakur Issues Fiery Warning To Ben Stokes And Co: 'We Are Here To Put Up A Show'

India will take on England in a five-match Test series starting from June 20. Shubman Gill is poised to make his captaincy debut when these two sides meet at Headingley for the first Test match.

Shardul Thakur Hopes To Inflict Damage On England

A lot has changed since the conclusion of the last World Test Championship. India's hopes to secure a place in the WTC finals plummeted with successive Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia. BCCI Selectors made some changes to the Test squad, which tasted a 3-1 loss on Australian soil and Shardul Thakur made a comeback to the setup after an absence of two years. On the back of a solid domestic campaign, Shardul has been given a lease of life to resurrect his Test career.

The all-rounder already presented his case with a valiant knock of 122 in the intra-squad game and will juggle for a spot in the starting XI with Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Ahead of the fresh challenge, Shardul opined that they could definitely inflict some damage on the English team on their home soil. 

In a video posted by BCCI, he said, “It's good to have that fresh energy in the team, a few youngsters coming up, and new talents are always exciting. Now that the England team is also playing a different kind of cricket. You know, like to surprise them also that we are here to put up a show, and it's always great to win away series, away from home. And if we could achieve this feat, it would be massive for the entire nation.”

Also Read: 'Could Be A Breakout Series': Former Indian Cricketer Aakash Chopra Showers Praise On KL Rahul Ahead Of India's Five Match Test Series Against England

India's Batting Combination Remains A Mystery

It remains to be seen with what batting combination the team management goes forward with. KL Rahul opened in the warm-up match with Yashasvi Jaiswal and the pair is likely to retain their position. Rahul also opened the innings with Australia and he is well aware of the challenges as it stands. With both Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair in contention for a spot, Shubman might demote himself to number four to accommodate either one of them.

Also Read: Jasprit Bumrah Assures Appearance In Headingley Test To Provide Early Pace Boost, Eyes At Least 3 Match Appearances