Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has heaped praise on all-rounder Shardul Thakur, saying that he gets limited credit for his bowling. Shardul performed brilliantly with the ball in the third ODI against the West Indies, helping India win the series decider by a huge margin of 500 runs. He took four wickets as the team India defended 351 runs to bundle out the hosts for 151 runs.
Chopra was mesmerized by Shardul’s wicket-taking ability. Indian commentator, the Maharastra-born all-rounder surprised even with the runs he conceded during his bowling.
“In the previous match itself, Shardul took three wickets,” Aakash Chopra said in Jio Cinema. “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.”
Further assessing Shardul Thakur’s bowling, Chopra pointed out that Shardul Thakur bowls a lot of wickets taking deliveries, and has a lot of confidence in him.
“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,” he added.
Shardul Thakur performed brilliantly in the three-match ODI series against West Indies and became the highest wicket-taker with eight wickets.
“If You Are Taking Three Wickets, Shouldn’t Worry Much About Economy” – Aakash Chopra On Shardul Thakur
The high economy rate of this all-rounder of team India has been a matter of concern in limited over cricket. Shardul Thakur’s economy rate in ODIs is 6.16, while in the shortest format it reaches 9.15. However, Aakash Chopra believes that if he is taking three wickets in a match then economy should not be a concern.
“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,” Chopra stated.
Shardul Thakur will next be seen in action in the five-match T20 series against the West Indies, starting on Thursday, August 3, 2023 in Trinidad.
