Shardul Thakur gets Test debut as Mohammad Shami gets rest

After Prithvi Shaw in the opening Test, Shardul Thakur earned the Test cap in the second Test against the West Indies. In so doing, Thakur becomes the 294th Test player in Indian cricket history and his first match in the whites comes after two years with the team but on the sidelines. Incidentally, Thakur’s maiden Test call-up came against West Indies when India were the touring party to the Caribbean.

Shardul, 26, plays for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and is just four days away from his birthday. He made his first class debut in 2012 against Rajasthan and has taken 188 wickets in 55 first-class matches at an average of 28.27. He has taken 12 fifers in his career. The Palghar born right arm medium bowler has already played five ODIs and 7 T20Is at a collective 14 wickets.

Thakur becomes the fifth player to make a debut for India in Tests this year and third straight player to debut after Hanuma Vihari in England and Shaw in Rajkot. He received the cap from coach Ravi Shastri.