Here's how Shardul Thakur has fared in SENA Tests: Stats
What's the story
Ahead of India's five-match Test series against England, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has weighed in on the all-rounder debate.
He has backed senior player Shardul Thakur over Nitish Kumar Reddy for a spot in the playing XI.
The decision comes as both players are vying for a place in the final team, which will be announced before the first Test starts on June 20 in Leeds.
On this note, let's decode Thakur's numbers in SENA Tests.
Player profiles
Thakur owns three Test fifties in England
Thakur returns to the Test squad for the first time since December 2023, thanks to his consistent performances in domestic cricket and the IPL 2025.
As per ESPNcricinfo, the 33-year-old has played four Tests in England so far, scalping 10 wickets at 37.10.
With the bat, he has mustered three fifties across seven innings in the nation.
This includes twin fifties in the 2021 Oval Test. He overall averages 24.71 in England with the bat (173 runs).
AUS & SA
His numbers in Australia and South Africa
While Thakur is yet to play a Test on New Zealand soil, he has made a mark in Australia and South Africa.
The all-rounder played a 67-run knock besides taking seven wickets in the 2021 Gabba game, his only Test assignment Down Under to date, as India recorded a famous series win.
His career-best 7/61 came against SA in the 2022 Johannesburg Test. However, he could only manage six wickets across as many Test innings in the rainbow nation.
Numbers
Batting average of 10.62 in South Africa
Shardul has batted eight times on SA soil in Tests and did not cross the 30-run mark even once. His numbers read 85 runs at a paltry average of 10.62.
The veteran's only other overseas Test appearances have been recorded in West Indies, where he has managed just a solitary wicket and four runs across two Test matches.
Overall, he owns 31 Test wickets at 28.38 and 331 runs at 19.47.
BGT
Reddy's heroics in BGT
Meanwhile, Reddy put up a brilliant show against hosts Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, the series which marked his Test debut.
He scored 298 runs in five matches at an average of 37.25. This made him India's second-highest run-scorer in the series.
His most memorable moment came during the Melbourne Test, where he scored a phenomenal maiden Test century with a gritty knock of 114 runs.
Apart from his batting, Reddy also picked up five wickets at 38.
Advantage Thakur
Shardul has edge over Nitish: Harbhajan
Harbhajan believes Thakur has an edge over Reddy as the latter has not bowled much lately.
"That's where I think Shardul has an edge over Nitish Reddy. Nitish is a proper batsman who can definitely bowl, but we haven't seen much of his bowling in the IPL," he told PTI.
Notably, Reddy bowled just five overs across 13 matches during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). The medium pacer, however, averages 28.77 in First-Class cricket.
Match readiness
Thakur's century in recent intra-squad match
Both Thakur and Reddy played in India's two four-day warm-up matches earlier this month but didn't do well with the ball.
However, Thakur stood out in an intra-squad match between India and India A, scoring a century on Day 3 to go with a good bowling display.
He also has valuable red-ball experience in English conditions.