Thakur fancies his batting prowess

Brisbane – Regular captain Virat Kohli led the tributes to Shardul Thakur’s brave batting in the Brisbane decider but the number eight batsman was underwhelmed by his praise as he never considered himself a dud with the bat.

Thakur, playing his second Test, emerged as India’s unlikely batting hero, top-scoring with a counter-attacking 67 to deny Australia a substantial first-innings lead.

Debutant Washington Sundar was his partner in a 123-run seventh-wicket stand as both made their maiden Test 50s in the fourth and final game of the series yesterday.

They were not even part of India’s original squad but were shoehorned into the team following injuries to frontline bowlers.

“Outstanding application and belief by @Sundarwashi5 and @ imShard. This is what Test cricket is all about,” Kohli, who returned home after the opening Test to attend the birth of his daughter, said on Twitter.

Thakur, who claimed three wickets in Australia’s first innings, said he did not want to waste an opportunity to impress with the bat.

“I do believe I have some batting talent,” the seamer said in a video conference.

“I do work on my batting in the nets. We wait for these moments, these opportunities, to contribute with the bat.”

Thakur brought up his 50 by hitting spinner Nathan Lyon for six and India, reeling at 186/6, were past the 300-mark when Pat Cummins pegged back his offstump.

“We were not even looking at the scoreboard. The idea was to spend some time there,” Thakur said.

“We knew that their bowlers were tiring, so if we could hang in for one more hour we could be on top. We just patiently waited to try and punish the loose balls.” –