Shardul Thakur has suffered a shoulder injury in the nets, raising doubts over his availability for the New Year’s Test in Cape Town starting January 3.

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According to a PTI report, seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was struck on his non-bowling shoulder while batting in the nets ahead of the second SA vs IND Test in Cape Town.

India lost the first Test comprehensively in Centurion by an innings and 32 runs. Thakur did not have the best of games, scoring 26 runs across two innings with the bat, and taking just one wicket for 101 runs while leaking runs at 5.3 runs per over. He is, however, a vital cog in India’s combination in Tests outside the subcontinent as he is one of the only seam bowling options India have who can bat a bit.

The extent of Thakur’s injury is uncertain at the time of writing, but he was seen with an ice pack on his shoulder in training.

Ravindra Jadeja had to sit out in the first Test after he complained of neck spasms on the morning of the first day. India played Ravichandran Ashwin in his place, who offered more than decent control with the ball in unhelpful conditions.

While the extent of the injury remains unclear, if Thakur’s injury does makes him unavailable for the second Test, India might be forced to play both Ashwin and Jadeja, something they seldom do in SENA Test matches and would not prefer doing in Cape Town, in particular, given the venue’s not-so-pleasant treatment of spinners. Since 2010, spinners have averaged 44.7 here across 15 Test matches.

The last time India toured South Africa, Thakur was their most successful bowler, having taken 12 wickets from three Tests at an average of 19.08. Whether he is fit enough to get another opportunity to improve his numbers on this tour remains to be seen. India are 6/5 with Betway to win the second Test and level the series 1-1.

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