Winning over Oz crowd was Shardul’s inspiration

Brisbane, Jan.

When Shardul Thakur stepped out to bat on Sunday, rescuing India from a precarious 186/6 was not the only target on his mind as he was also keen to impress the Australian crowd after being told how “rewarding” it would feel by coach Ravi Shastri.

“When I walked in, the situation was difficult I would not deny that. The crowd was cheering for Australians bowlers. But I remembered our coach Ravi Shastri saying right at the start of the Oneday series that ‘if you perform in this country, you will be rewarded’,” Thakur talked about the

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inspiration behind the unfazed manner with which he batted.

“People will love you for your performances and that one thing was also on my mind that people are going love me.”

Batting at number eight, Thakur impressed with his stroke-play, his drives coming straight out of coaching manuals. At stumps, Australia were 54 ahead after reaching 21 for no loss in their second innings following India’s dismissal for 336.

“Eventually at the end of the day it would help my team, that was the biggest positive. These two things were on my mind. Crowd would make noise, but If I bat well, the same crowd will cheer for me,” Thakur said.

Cheered, he definitely was by not just the crowd but also his teammates, who gave him a standing ovation on his way back to the dressing room.

● Batting at number eight, Shardul impressed with his strokeplay, his drives coming straight out of coaching manuals.