I know I have the talent to bat: Shardul Thakur after match-winning cameo in Cuttack ODI
Shardul Thakur took West Indies by surprise with the bat on Sunday and helped India get over the line with a quickfire 17 not out off 6 balls in their successful run chase of 316 in Cuttack.
In Short
- Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur stitched a 30-run unbeaten stand for 7th-wicket to help India cross the line
- Jadeja remained not out on 39 while Shardul scored 17 not out off 6 balls
- Virat Kohli (85) top-scored for India while KL Rahul (77) and Rohit Sharma (63) also made useful contributions
Indian cricket fans and the team players inside the dressing room would have had their hearts in their mouth when Virat Kohli was sent packing for 85 by Keemo Paul. India still had 30 runs to chase down with 23 balls in hand and had set batsman Ravindra Jadeja at one end.
But it was Shardul Thakur who took it upon himself to ease the pressure off Jadeja and do the bulk of the scoring in their crucial 7th-wicket partnership which eventually helped India chase down 316 with 8 balls to spare.
Thakur ended up scoring 17 not out off just 6 balls with two boundaries and a six which all but ended the contest and stunned the Windies. Jadeja added the finishing touches and remained unbeaten on 39 off 31 balls.
Thakur later stated that he did not take unnecessary pressure on himself after Kohli got out and just believed in himself that he could finish the job for India.
T20I series
ODI series
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"If I would think about Kohli getting out, I would be under pressure. But the important thing was that there was a set batsman. The whole idea was to meet the ball. It was one of those days when I could connect well and luckily it came off.
"I know I have the talent to bat. If I can contribute these 20-25 runs when the team needs me, I would be glad. Going ahead, I would want to practice more. I would be more than glad to contribute with the bat," Shardul said after the match.
Jadeja also revealed what his though-process was during their unbroken 30-run partnership and what he was told by Kohli after he got out at a crucial stage.
"I was only thinking that the wicket is nice and the ball is coming to the bat. 'Just try to bat properly, don't play silly shots, look to time the ball' - his advice to Shardul.
"There was a bit of pressure, I hadn't batted a lot in the series, but here I was under pressure to win a game. Virat just asked me to play my natural game. The score was reflecting on the scene, so I knew the situation well," Jadeja said.