Shardul Thakur is a game-changer. He can provide breakthroughs at any stage with the ball and then swing his bat like a magic wand to play rescue acts. His maiden first-class 100 against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy semifinal in Mumbai was straight out of a blockbuster film. Thakur came in at No 9, at 106/7, and smashed 109 off 105 balls to completely turn the tide. He could draw a crowd in the small ground at the Bandra Kurla Complex for the Ranji semis. Thakur followed up with a 69-ball 75 in the final to further stamp his authority as a batter. The Mumbai boy, who has returned to Chennai Super Kings for the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, has raised expectations with his counter-attack batting, a model that may work wonders in the IPL.
CSK will need Thakur to step up even more now, as injuries are preventing at least three key players from joining in the inaugural match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday, March 22. Top-order batter Devon Conway and pacer Mustafizur Rahman are all out of the first few games of the season.
There are reports that right-arm fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana has recovered from the hamstring injury incurred just a few days ago, and he could be back in the CSK "den".
All-rounders in CSK
Former CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had valued seam-bowling all-rounders for many years. Players like Albie Morkel, Dwayne Bravo and Shane Watson have contributed to the titles. Thakur, the new crorepati in the IPL business, could be the new match-winning all-rounder.
Thakur, reacquired by the franchise for Rs 4 crore, has already won the IPL twice with CSK in 2018 and 2021, but those were his formative years as an international cricketer. He has evolved as a complete all-rounder in the last three years.
The 32-year-old made the ball talk with 89 wickets in 86 games in his eight-year IPL career but struck his maiden 50 — 68 off 29 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens — only in the last season. He lifted KKR from 89/5 to 204/7 and won the Player of the Match award after RCB folded for 123.
Shardul Thakur: The batting surge
Thakur gained confidence after playing a few crucial knocks in international cricket. It all started with the gutsy knock of 67 against Australia in the Gabba Test in 2021, followed by 57 and 60 against England at The Oval, where India won by 157 runs.
Last year, he scored 51 — his fourth Test 50 — in the World Test Championship final against Australia.
Thakur has batted at the No 7 and No 8 position in his career thus far, but he is a capable middle-order batsman. One can expect skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad to use him more as a batter in the upcoming IPL.
CSK begin their title defence against RCB at home on March 22.
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