Shardul Thakur has been a revelation with the bat and ball in his short Test career, impressing in the tours of England and South Africa.
Follow Us
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has already impressed with his all-round abilities. His seven-wicket haul turned the table for India in the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg. After claiming 7/61, Thakur did well with the bat, scoring a quickfire 28 on Day 3 of the Test match.
While questions were raised on Shardul Thakur‘s place in the side after scoring only 14 runs in the first Test in Centurion, Shardul contributed with both bat and ball in the 2nd Test. Shardul claimed the wicket of a well-set Aiden Markram on Day 3 of the 2nd Test and helped India register their first-ever series victory.
Shardul has become an important member of India’s Test squad. He has claimed 24 wickets so far in 6 Tests (6th ongoing) and 232 runs which came at an average of near to 30 with 3 fifties. He had made his Test debut in 2018 against the West Indies.
Read – Shardul Thakur included in ICC World T20 2021 side
Speaking during commentary for Star Sports during the 2nd Test between South Africa and India, Chennai Super Kings coaching staff member, Eric Simons opined on how hard Shardul worked on his batting after that 1-run defeat in 2019 IPL final.
“I have to tell the story of Shardul’s batting. It’s a lot to do with his character,” Simons said. “He is in the same franchise as I am, with CSK. Two years ago in the IPL final against Mumbai Indians, we needed one off the last ball to tie and two to win. He walked to the wicket, facing Lasith Malinga but was out the last ball of the match LBW.”
“He was devastated to lose that match and was sitting in a corner for I don’t know how long! That’s his character. Nobody could tell him, nobody could console him… ‘listen it wasn’t your fault’. In fact, he bowled particularly well in that match,” he again added.
“The point I am trying to make is what that match did to him. He resolved to go out and make sure ‘that will never happen to me again’. To become the batter that he has… the amount of work he puts in on his batting… even with all the calypso style shots we talk about, there’s a lot of orthodoxy in the way he goes about his batting. It says a lot about the character of the man that he rose from that position,” Simons added.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
