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India vs Sri Lanka: Shardul Thakur hits the strides yet again
India vs Sri Lanka: Shardul Thakur truly came into prominence in the 2017 IPL) with Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS), under the leadership of MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming.
Much before he emerged as a contender for a regular spot in India’s white-ball teams, Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur had earned his maiden call-up to the Test team as a back-up bowler for the 2016 tour of the West Indies. Thakur then was known as a premier Mumbai seamer who could move the ball both ways at decent pace, featuring in their successful Ranji Trophy campaigns.
While he did not get to play in the Caribbean, his Test debut came two years later against the same side in Hyderabad. Unfortunately, Thakur broke down on his run-up before his 10th delivery, and was ruled out of the rest of the Test due to a groin strain. He has waited for another opportunity to play a Test since then.
Thakur truly came into prominence in the 2017 IPL with Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS), under the leadership of MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming. He has since been summoned to an India side that is through a transition phase as far as T20 cricket is concerned.
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Tuesday night in Indore was one such opportunity when Thakur showcased his bowling variations that flummoxed the Sri Lankan batsmen. His 4/27 at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium in March, 2018 are still his best T20 figures, but Thakur will look back at Tuesday’s match with satisfaction that he has been able to make a mark again.
In a game where all focus was on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury comeback, Thakur took three wickets—all in one over—to set up India’s seven-wicket win. He bowled a fine spell, giving away only 23 runs while producing his variations—from short ball to knuckle ball to slower ones.
“I feel T20 is such a short format there is always going to be ups and downs. The more you play, the more experienced you get and you keep learning,” Thakur told the media after the match.
“(The) four-day and five-day formats are more settled, you have time to think about your game, but in T20 you don’t. So, whenever you practice you need to add to your strengths and keep bettering your skills. Over a period of time while practising I have been developing my skills. By playing in the last two-three years in IPL, domestic cricket, I am getting better,” he said.
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Thakur said he has worked on white-ball skills by himself, without the guidance of any one coach. “At this point it is very difficult to work with a particular coach because I am in and out of the Indian team. Sometimes I play for Mumbai, then Chennai Super Kings, and now I am with India. But recently our bowling coach Bharat Arun has been really helpful,” he said.
Thakur and Navdeep Saini, who bowled an impactful spell, form the freshest pace pair for India against Sri Lanka and Australia, because of injuries to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar. The pair gaining more experience will provide India a larger pool to choose from come the October World T20 in Australia.
