Rahul Dravid, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Shastri
Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar [Image Credits: Twitter]

Legendary Indian opener-turned commentator Sunil Gavaskar has heaped high praise on the duo of Washington Sundar (62) and Shardul Thakur (67) for their defiant and record-breaking 123-run-stand for the seventh wicket against Australia at the Gabba on Sunday.

Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar displayed their batting talent to the hilt on day 03 of the Brisbane Test as they defied the Australian attack for close to 40 overs, flaying them all around the park for their respective half-centuries.

Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Sunil Gavaskar
Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar [Image Credits: Twitter]
The 123-run-stand that Thakur and Sundar stitched lifted India from the precarious position of 6/186 to eventually post 336 all-out, denying Australia a hefty first-innings lead.

Legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar, during an interaction with Sony Sports, admitted that he had not expected such a performance from the duo but revealed that he enjoyed every bit of it as they showed remarkable grit coupled with glorious strokeplay on a bouncy Gabba track.

“They would have this big a partnership is something above expectations. I thought that they might just hang around a little bit, delay the inevitable but when they started to play the kind of shots that we saw from their bats. That was inspiring and it was a heartwarming revelation. Very very enjoyable to see the way they took the opportunities and scored the runs,” Sunil Gavaskar told Sony Six.

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Gavaskar further added that the performance of newcomers like Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur in the ongoing match has shown just how much the Indian cap means to them and that they are ready to take on the responsibility of spearheading their team in the absence of seniors.

“What it tells you is that there are so many youngsters who are hungry for the India cap, the opportunity to play. Look at the way they have grabbed it with both hands. You could actually have the situation when the big boys are back then they may not play another Test for a long time but they have shown with this performance, in case they are needed, they will be ready for it,” Gavaskar added.

“It actually shows when you value that India cap, you will do something extraordinary. That’s what we saw today from these two,” Gavaskar added.

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