Shardul Thakur made his debut for the Indian team against the Sri Lankans in the 4th ODI. He picked up his first wickets and helped set the ball rolling with regard to the Sri Lankan batting collapse. Here are ten facts about the player:
1. Plays for Mumbai:
Though Shardul Thakur was born in Palghar, Maharashtra, he chose to represent Mumbai in domestic cricket and he made his debut under Rohit Sharma in 2012.
2. Nickname:
Among the Mumbai cricketing circle, Thakur is known as the Palghar Express owing to his fast bowling ability.
3. Dropped for weight:
Once, he was dropped from the cricket team in Mumbai because he had clocked in overweight in the scales.
4. Hard travelling:
Shadrul Thakur had to travel close to 3 and a half hours every day to get to Mumbai from Palghar. His day used to begin at 3:30 so that he could make it in time for the 7:30 practice.
5. Comeback king:
In his initial phase as a Ranji cricketer, Thakur could only pick up 4 wickets and he was dropped. He came back however in the semi-finals to help Mumbai win and lift the Ranji Trophy.
6. Highest wicket taker:
Thakur was the highest wicket taker in the 2014-15 Ranji season, picking up 48 wickets. He followed it up with 41 wickets.
7. Six sixes:
Shardul Thakur also holds the record along with Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri for hitting six sixes in a Harris Shields match.
8. Four wickets against South Africa:
When the Board President’s XI team faced South Africa in a warm-up match, he picked up four wickets against a team that included Faf and Amla.
9. All-rounder:
Shardul Thakur can also bat a bit, having hit two first-class fifties for his team against Uttar Pradesh with a highest score of 87.
10. Jersey number:
Thakur courted controversy when he chose to wear the number 10 jersey vacated by Sachin. He wears the number as it is his birth date.
By Rohit Nair
