"Shardul Thakur didn't deserve a place in the playing XI" - Danish Kaneria on India's team selection in WTC 2023 final

Former Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria believes that bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur should not have been a part of India's playing XI for the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final against Australia.

Kaneria opined that instead of going with four fast bowlers, Rohit Sharma and Co. should have played Ravichandran Ashwin in Thakur's place. He also suggested that India erred tactically by electing to bowl first after winning the toss at The Oval.

Kaneria remarked on his YouTube channel:

"India disappointed yet again, losing their second WTC final. They went back empty-handed. It was a poor performance. Their first mistake was electing to bowl first, the second was not playing Ashwin. The third mistake was going in with four fast bowlers. Shardul Thakur didn't deserve a place in the playing XI, and Ashwin should have been added in his place."

Notably, Thakur did a decent job with the ball, picking up the key wickets of David Warner and Steve Smith in Australia's first innings. However, he went wicketless and bowled just eight overs in the second essay.

The 31-year-old did contribute significantly with the bat, delivering a clutch knock under pressure. Walking out to bat at No. 8 in India's first innings, Thakur scored 51 runs off 109 balls.

---

"Very evident that the ball touched the grass" - Danish Kaneria on Shubman Gill's controversial dismissal in WTC 2023 final

Indian opener Shubman Gill's dismissal in the fourth innings of the WTC 2023 finals sparked a major controversy, with several fans and experts suggesting that the batter was unfairly given out.

Gill was caught at the gully by Cameron Green. While the third umpire adjudged it out, implying that the fielder had his fingers underneath the ball, Danish Kaneria felt otherwise.

He claimed that the ball had clearly touched the grass and that it wasn't a clean catch.

"Shubman Gill's dismissal was a very controversial one. The third umpire should have given it not out, as it was very evident that the ball touched the grass," Kaneria said.

India suffered a heartbreaking 209-run loss to Australia in the summit clash, losing their second WTC final in a row. The Men in Blue had earlier faced an eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the inaugural WTC final in 2021.