R Sridhar Reveals The Nickname Team India Gave Shardul Thakur Post His Brilliant 67 At The Gabba

Team India fielding coach R Sridhar recently revealed the hilarious nickname that the tourists had given seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur following his brilliant performance with the bat in the recently concluded Gabba Test against Australia.

Shardul Thakur successfully exorcised the demons of his debut Test against the West Indies with a brilliant all-round performance in the series-decider at the Gabba.

Shardul had made his Test debut for Team India during the 2018 home series against the West Indies.

However, what should have been a memorable occasion for the Mumbai cricketer, soon turned out to be a nightmare as he pulled his hamstring after having bowled just 10 deliveries.

With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the series decider in Brisbane, Shardul finally got the opportunity to showcase his talent at the Test level.

And, he made sure that he did that to the hilt with both bat and ball.

Shardul displayed a masterclass in swing bowling and in the process claimed seven Australian wickets across both innings. But, it was really his batting in the first innings that was one of the highlights of the Test.

The right-hander had come into bat at a time when India desperately needed someone to get them out of the hole they had dug themselves in following the loss of six wickets for the score of 186, in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 369.

And, Shardul, along with debutant Washington Sundar, did that with disdain. The duo racked up a record-breaking 123-run-stand for the seventh wicket, helping India get close to Australia’s total.

Shardul, who opened his account with a disdainful six off Pat Cummins, played some of the most audacious strokes during his knock of 67 which would have made any batsman proud. The highlight of his knock was the sumptuous cover-drive on the up which he hit off Mitchell Starc.

And, so Indian fielding coach R Sridhar, during a freewheeling interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin, where the duo recalled some interesting stories around the famous win in Brisbane, revealed the nickname that Team India gave Shardul Thakur post his brilliant 67 in the first innings.

“We have a new nickname for him: Shardulkar. After Tendulkar, we have Shardulkar playing those cover drives,” R Sridhar revealed.

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