Injuries to Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has given a chance to Shardul Thakur in the Indian team. In 2017, he got the first chance after he had a prolific IPL edition. The pacer believes his game changed when he shifted his base from Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in the 2017 edition.
Every cricketer has a dream to get one chance in the Indian team to prove and showcase his talent. And injuries of the players can give chances to others who are waiting in the queue. Shardul Thakur is one of them in the waiting list. After more than one year, he got back the chance after Bhuvneshwar Kumar was injured ahead of the ODI series against West Indies in December 2019.
In 2017, he made the debut in the Indian team and was regular in the national squad till 2018. Unfortunately, he got injured and was out of the team. Now, in place of an injured cricketer, he has got back the place in late 2019.
Shardul Thakur Marks When His Game Changed
While talking to Hindustan Times, Shardul Thakur expressed that the turning point in his life was when he shifted his base from KXIP to RPS. In the 2017 edition, MS Dhoni was also the part of RSP (CSK was banned at that time) who has guided Thakur between the matches.
“In 2017 IPL, when I was transferred from Kings XI to RPS, that was an important break for me. Before that, I hadn’t played much with the white ball. When in the 2018 auction I went to CSK, I was very happy because we had the same support staff, Dhoni Bhai was also around. I knew how our coach Stephen Fleming works, how Mahi Bhai works. When you establish a rapport, it gets easier for the player.”
For RSP, Thakur picked 11 wickets in 12 matches. He has picked 24 wickets in 23 games played for his present team CSK. He said that he got big support from Dhoni and CSK coach Stephen Fleming.
“Whenever I play, both give me a free hand. They come and ask what my plan is for the opponent.‘What are you thinking? How are you going to tackle the batsmen?’ They just helped me with better answers. If you are thinking about yorkers, they will talk it out: whether to bowl stump yorkers or wide yorkers. They give you that clarity.”
‘Not Deepak Chahar substitute’
Deepak Chahar is out of the game because of stress fracture at the lower back. Currently, he is recovering in NCA. Shardul Thakur doesn’t believe that he is in competition with Deepak Chahar for the spot.
“I don’t think we are fighting for the same spot. Don’t think we are similar bowlers. We have different sets of skills too. I don’t believe I am fighting for the same spot with anyone for that matter. If you do well, you are going to play. If he does well, he is going to play. At the end of the day, we are playing for the country.”
Meanwhile, Thakur will be seen in the second T20I match against Sri Lanka in Indore on 7 January.