Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur picked up four wickets in the deciding third ODI match between India and West Indies in Trinidad. The Indian cricket team went on to win the contest by a mammoth 200 runs and the series 2-1.
Despite his blockbuster performance in the series, the batters took the limelight with Ishan Kishan (77), Shubman Gill (85), Hardik Pandya (70*), and Sanju Samson (51) helping India put together 351 runs. Kishan and Gill put together 143 runs in only 19.4 overs in the order to all but snatch the game away from the hosts.
Aakash Chopra On Shardul Thakur’s Performance
Chasing a whooping target of 352 runs, West Indies couldn’t quite get going in the manner of the second ODI match. The Windies struggled against the Indian bowling from the word go and were reduced to 50/6 by the 14th over of the game. Alick Athanaze (32), Yannic Cariah (19), Alzarri Joseph (26), and Gudakesh Motie (39*) tried to make a comeback but the damage was done.
The Indian bowlers ran through the Windies batters and won the game by a huge margin of 200 runs. Shardul Thakur picked four wickets. The all-rounder ended up with figures of 6.3-0-37-4, including the prized scalps of Shimron Hetmyer and Romario Shepherd. He was well supported by Mukesh Kumar (3/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/25).
Meanwhile, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Sharduk. Talking about his performance in the series, Aakash Chopra said:
“In the previous match itself, Shardul took three wickets. He gets very limited credit for the way he bowls. I am trying to figure out how he takes so many wickets and why he is expensive, both things going hand-in-hand.”
Chopra also backed him as he praised his wicket-taking ability. He said:
“If you are taking three wickets, the economy shouldn’t be much to worry about because 300 is going to be there as a target. He doesn’t give more than 6 runs per over, must be 6.1–6.2. The number of balls he bowls, the chances of him getting a wicket are very bright,”
He added: “We say it’s wicket-taking luck, but if you closely observe Shardul, the reason why he has the wicket-taking luck is because he bowls in those areas and he has a lot of belief. If you ever ask him, How good are you? He would answer, “Equal to Dennis Lillee!”. That’s the confidence he has, and I love him for that.”
