Shardul Thakur -“The Inspiring Fast Local(100 KM)”

Shardul Thakur-“The Express”

“Love what you do and do what you love. Don’t listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the centre of your life.” — Ray Bradbury.

The above quote perfectly describes the journey of Shardul Thakur, as he travelled nearly 100 KM daily to pursue his dream, to be a cricketer. While people were surprised that he travelled 100 km daily to pursue his dream, he believed in himself and kept focusing on his game.

• Initial Days:

Shardul Thakur was born on October 16, 1991, in Palghar Maharashtra. The town located almost a 100 KM away from Mumbai, Mumbai which has produced legends of the game like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Rohit Sharma and many more.

Shardul was interested in the game of cricket since a young age and he joined PDTSA club in Boisar to kick-start his career. Since a young age, he had a well-disciplined action and accuracy in the game. But when he started to perform better he got more opportunities to make his mark.

Shardul Thakur had to travel in early morning locals which are famous for their congestions. He had to wake up at 4 a.m. daily to board the local train.

He travelled for almost 100 KM and for 3 hours one-way on daily basis and then he practised over there and returned again by travelling for 3 hours.

He grabbed everyone’s attention when he smashed 6 sixes in an over which is unusual for a bowler. In that game, he scored 160 off just 73 deliveries which included 20 fours and 10 sixes, of which 6 sixes came in just a single over.

• Early Days at Big stage for Shardul:

Shardul Thakur did not get a dream start in his career whether it was Ranji Trophy debut season or the IPL. In debut Ranji Trophy season he picked up just 4 wickets in 4 matches. For his low performance, people questioned his weight.

To answer all the questions Shardul shed 13 kilos and made a comeback. Shardul picked up 27 wickets in six Ranji Trophy matches in 2013-14 season and 48 wickets in 2014-2015 season.

In the 2015-16 season of Ranji Trophy, in the final of the tournament, he led Mumbai to win the title by taking 8 wickets.

Due to these performances, Shardul Thakur was picked by KXIP in 2014, but he did not get any chances. In fact, out of 3 seasons, he spent at KXIP camp he got a chance to feature in just a single game.

But the fortunes chanced for Shardul Thakur in 2017 when he was picked by RPS for their ultimate year in the IPL. But for the next season, he was signed by CSK. Shardul’s performance has been consistent since then!

The International Dream:

Shardul Thakur’s dream of playing for India was about to be fulfilled when he was included for Indies toured during 2016. But he did not get his debut cap in West Indies and returned home without playing any game.

After waiting a decent amount of time, Shardul made his international debut in an ODI against Sri Lanka on 31 August 2017. But he grabbed everyone’s eye when he picked up 4/52 in the final ODI against South Africa in 2018. Since then he has been the first choice in the ODI cricket after Bumrah, Shami and Bhuvi.

Shardul Thakur made his Test debut in 2018 against West Indies when they toured India. But he was unlucky as he injured himself after just bowling 10 balls.

Shardul made his T-20 debut in the same tour where he picked up his ODI best. He picked up just a single wicket in T-20 debut as well similar to his IPL debut.

Interesting Facts about Shardul Thakur:

1. He is fondly known as “Palghar Express” in Mumbai’s Domestic Circuit.
2.  He was the joint highest wicket-taker along with R Vinay Kumar in the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season with 48 wickets.
3. He scored a match-winning knock of 17* in series decider against Wi in 2019.
4. He was once dropped from the Mumbai Under-19 squad for being overweight.
5. He grabbed headlines for the first time when he smashed six sixes in an over in the Harris Shield.

Follow Shardul Thakur :

• Twitter- @imShard
• Instagram-shardul_ Thakur

Also, read previous the article- SURESH RAINA