Shardul Thakur surprised Ricky Ponting and Dinesh Karthik by taking a precautionary measure after being hit by consecutive body blows. The World Test Championship final has been tough for Team India, both on the scoreboard and physically. After a draining 121 overs in the field, they struggled to get going while batting against an aggressive Australian lineup. Several Indian batsmen were struck by Australia’s fast bowlers with the red Dukes ball.
Ajinkya Rahane and KS Bharat took multiple blows, including one on the helmet. Shardul Thakur, who replaced Bharat, also faced a similar ordeal. Pat Cummins targeted him, hitting him on the right hand and forearm. Taking it as a sign, Shardul put on an arm guard but mistakenly wore one on the wrong arm as well. This amused Ponting and Karthik, who had never seen anything like it before.
Shardul’s intent seemed to have been affected by the pace and bounce of the Australian seamers, resulting in amusing reactions on Twitter. He got a second chance when he was dropped by Cameron Green off Cummins’ bowling. Shardul continued to support Ajinkya Rahane and they formed a crucial century partnership, giving India a glimmer of hope.