Indian bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has featured in 4 Test matches thus far and already made a mark with some stunning performances. He has mustered 190 runs with the bat, which includes two massive half-centuries in the Oval Test against England, to go with 14 wickets.
In an interview with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, he spoke about his planning before a game and the thought process that goes in before he enters the field. Having mentioned that he watches a lot of the videos before the game, he said that it all comes down to confidence and self-belief once he enters the field.
“Like everyone, I do like to plan my game as well in terms of bowling and batting. I like to watch videos of the batsmen. But when I enter the ground, everything is about confidence and self-belief for me.
I am looking forward to it. Two overseas tours have been successful for us as a team. To contribute in SA conditions, would be more than happy,”
he said.
Shardul also spoke about his engagement with his partner Mittali Parulkar, which has been postponed for a long time as the cricketer is busy with his cricketing responsibilities. He mentioned that the BCCI had offered him a window to complete that and joined the side immediately after it was completed.
South Africa has not been a happy hunting ground for India since their first-ever tour in 1992. They managed to win just three Test matches in the country until now, the first of which came under the leadership of Rahul Dravid in 2006. They are chasing their first-ever series win in the country and are desperate to make it count in 2021/22, having already won in Australia and leading in England.
India posted 327 runs in their first innings banking on KL Rahul’s stunning century. Although the side looked comfortably placed at 271/3, they lost wickets in a canter on Day 3 and got bundled out courtesy of Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada. Thakur did not get to contribute much with the bat, edging it to Quinton de Kock off Rabada’s bowling.
