Team India pacer Shardul Thakur claimed facing fast bowlers is much easier than getting a seat in a Mumbai local train as the latter requires certain skills and timing. Shardul established himself as a bowling all-rounder after his heroics in the fourth Test of the recently-concluded tour in Australia.
Shardul, who had made just one appearance prior to the Brisbane Test, flaunted his all-round skills to be a game-changer for Team India. Apart from bagging 7 wickets in the match, Shardul scored 67 runs off 115 balls laced with 9 fours and 2 sixes to help India end Australia’s 32-year unbeaten run at the Gabba and cinch the series by 2-1.
Shardul, who hails from Palghar in Maharashtra, still never shies away from boarding a local train to return home. On being asked if getting a seat in a Mumbai local was tougher than facing world-class Australian pacers, Shardul said that for him facing pacers is something that comes naturally, while getting a seat in a local requires skill and timing.
“Getting a seat in a (Mumbai local) train, it required skill and timing. Facing fast bowlers is much easier,” The Indian Express quoted Shardul Thakur as saying.
“I always enjoy playing fast bowlers, I have never been scared of speed. Am not scared to face even 145 kmph plus. Maybe it’s because of how my cricketing career started. We have a ground in my village where my first few years of cricket were played on matting wickets.
“The pitch in Palghar had uneven bounce, so handling bounce came naturally to me. At the same time, I faced throwdown specialists regularly in the Indian team nets, so am used to playing pace,” he added.
In 2018, Shardul had boarder a local from the Andheri station to reach home after arriving from South Africa. A phot of the same had gone viral on social media back then. He was a part of the ODI and T20I squad.