Shardul Thakur has had a good initiation into Test cricket and the India seam bowling all-rounder wants to replicate his impressive show in Australia and England in the ongoing series against South Africa.
Shardul Thakur has been preferred by the Indian team management ahead of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav because of his superior batting skills.
Shardul Thakur Hopes His Pace Bowling Comes Off In South Africa Too Like His Successful England And Australia Tours
The Mumbai all-rounder was one of the heroes in India’s famous win at Brisbane earlier this year when he took 7 wickets in the match and also scored a crucial fifty to conquer the Gabba fortress where Australia lost for the first time since 1988. In his short 4-Test career, he has picked up 14 wickets.
He is in the scheme of things for India in all three formats. 22 wickets in 15 ODIs and 31 wickets in 24 T20Is tell a bit about his wicket-taking ability in the shorter formats as well.
“I am looking forward to it. I hope it comes off in SA too as I have been successful in England and Australia, to contribute to South African conditions, I would be more than happy,” Shardul Thakur told teammate Ravichandran Ashwin during a chat.
Meanwhile, the 2nd day of the Centurion Test has been washed out due to persistent rain as India will resume their innings with 272/3. KL Rahul (122*) and Ajinkya Rahane (40*) will resume their battle as India would be eying for a big total.
Shardul Thakur Is Confident While Entering The Ground
Shardul Thakur, who has 67 wickets and 366 runs for India in 43 international games across formats, self-belief is the key. Shardul Thakur wasn’t part of the T20I or Test squads against New Zealand as the national selection committee had decided to give the Mumbai pacer a break after being away from home for six months at a stretch playing cricket.
Shardul Thakur is one of six seamers in India’s 18-member Test squad for the South Africa tour. However, he is the only one among them who can hold his own with the willow in hand.
“I do like to plan my game in terms of both bowling and batting. When I enter the ground, everything is about confidence and self-belief for me. If you are playing white-ball cricket, you think of yorker. So to bowl that yorker, I go in with full confidence which stands out for me as a player,” Shardul said.
For the Mumbai cricketer, the aim is to remain a player who always makes winning contributions for the team and not just merely adds up numbers.
Shardul Thakur has scored 190 runs at a healthy average of 38 in the four Tests he has played for Team India. This includes three half-centuries – a career-high 67 at the Gabba and fifties in both innings of the 4th Test against England at the Oval, which India won.
Shardul Thakur has played only 4 Tests in his career so far after debuting in 2018 against West Indies, where he got injured after bowling only 10 balls. He managed 190 runs averaging 38, besides picking up 14 scalps averaging 22.71.
He has also played 15 ODIs and 24 T20Is, picking up 22 and 31 wickets, respectively. Fast bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur who was initially named in the reserves, replaced Axar Patel in India’s main squad for the 2021 T20I World Cup where India made an unceremonious exit from the group stage itself.