"Look at your own stats"- Shardul Thakur starts brutal fight with commentators

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Shardul Thakur made shocking remarks on commentators' criticism following his team's victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2025 season. Thakur said that criticism from commentators is inevitable, but they should look at their statistics before passing remarks.

Shardul Thakur went unsold in the IPL mega auction but was brought in as a replacement for Mohsin Khan. He has been a consistent performer for Lucknow Super Giants, taking 11 wickets in six matches at an average of 19.81. Thakur is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, behind Noor Ahmad (12).

We’ve Bowled Well Throughout the Season - Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur took a couple of wickets in the Super Giants' victory over the Gujarat Titans at the Ekana Stadium on Saturday, April 12. After the match, Thakur spoke about commentators who have been critical of the bowlers. He added that 200+ scores are becoming more frequent in T20 cricket.

"I’ve always believed that, as a bowling unit, we’ve bowled well throughout the season. A lot of times in commentary, there’s criticism — they try to be hard on the bowlers," Thakur said in the press conference.

"But you have to understand that cricket is moving in a certain direction where 200+ scores are becoming more common. And like you said, criticism will always be there — especially from commentators," he added.

It’s Easy to Sit in a Studio and Comment - Shardul Thakur

The 33-year-old stated that it's easy to share opinions from a studio, but they don’t see the real picture on the ground. Thakur said that commentators should look at their own playing records before judging others.

"It’s easy to sit in a studio and comment on someone’s bowling, but they don’t see the real picture out there on the ground. I’m sure they should look at their own stats before criticising anyone," he added.

In Mitchell Marsh’s absence, Rishabh Pant opened the innings for LSG but was dismissed for 21 off 18 balls. Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran then added a solid 58-run stand for the second wicket.

Markram scored 58 runs off 31 deliveries, including nine boundaries and a six. Pooran smashed 61 off 34 balls with one four and seven sixes. Ayush Badoni wrapped up the chase with an unbeaten 28 runs off 20 balls.

We’ve Defended Scores on Two Occasions - Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur stated that defending totals is challenging in high-scoring games. The all-rounder admitted that conditions became more favorable for batting, but the team managed to hold their nerve until the final overs.

“Credit to us that we’ve defended scores on two occasions when we batted first. We put up a good score, the pitch became better for batting, and even with drastic changes, we managed to defend — one game by 10 runs, one by 4 runs in Kolkata," Thakur stated.

"So it was about holding our nerve till the end and believing in ourselves that we could win the game, provided we got an important wicket or bowled a key over,” he added.

The Super Giants climbed to third place on the IPL 2025 points table after their win against Shubman Gill's side. It was their fourth victory in six games. They've been without an overseas pacer in their bowling attack.

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