India vs West Indies: Coach Believed in Me to Finish the Game says Thakur

India recently clinched the three-match One Day International series against West Indies and surprisingly it was Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja who took the hosts over the line.

When India are placed in such a hot seat, we usually get to witness the likes of Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma to take their side over the line in tricky run chases. But in the case of the final ODI of the series at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack a couple of days ago, it was not the same scene.

Shardul Thakur’s enthralling cameo towards the end of a difficult run chase powered India to a wonderful victory. Jadeja’s presence at the other end of the wicket was almost negated when Thakur came out and started smashing the ball from the middle of his bat.

“When I was going out to bat, Ravi (Shastri) sir told me to take the responsibility and finish the game. He said, ‘I have the talent to do it’. When I was entering the ground, Virat said it would be better to take a single and give the strike to Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja),” Thakur said as reported by CricketNext.

“But fortunately for me, I connected the first ball from the middle of the bat. Jaddu had told me that since the dew had settled, the ball was coming on to the bat nicely. After I hit the first-ball four, the pressure on Jadeja also came down, since the asking rate reduced a bit.”

Kohli, just like so many other occasions, almost took India home but he got out at a crucial juncture. The situation got nervy and then it was Thakur and Jadeja’s responsibility to take India home. Thakur made it look like a walk In the park as he thrashed the West Indies seamers helping India to get over the line with more than an over to spare. This is not the first time Thakur has come up with such antics with this bat as he has done it before while playing for his Indian Premier League franchise Chennai Super Kings.  

“I have finished the game in IPL, Faf (du Plessis) was batting with me then. I had hit a four in that game too. The important thing in such situations is to stay on the crease and rotate the strike. I have been in such a situation before, so it helps, as I know what I have to do. It depends on your preparation. I do prepare in practice sessions. I do match simulation and imagine myself facing a bowler in the match. But to be honest, I have never imagined myself in such a position,” Thakur added.

“In school cricket I have been part of such games. I feel things get easy once you are mentally prepared. It’s a pressure game, I feel batsmen are always on top in pressure games. While batting, I realised that the bowlers would be in more pressure than me. There is dew and if the bowlers fail to execute their plans, they will pay the price. I was hoping that the bowler failed so that I could take my chance. There is no point in taking pressure on myself.”