How chat with Zaheer Khan put Shardul Thakur on path to develop into Lord Thakur

Dhawal Kulkarni nonetheless remembers the recommendation Zaheer Khan had for a younger Shardul Thakur. The former India left-arm pacer had informed Thakur that if he had ambitions of taking part in at the next degree, he must scale back his weight and get fitter.
The teen took these phrases to coronary heart. He was 83kg at the moment, however had acquired 13kg lighter by the point he returned to the Mumbai dressing room a couple of months later, Kulkarni remembers.
Shardul Thakur bowls towards South Africa’s batsman Marco Jansen, through the second day. (AP Photo)
Apart from getting a lot slimmer, Thakur’s angle in direction of the sport had additionally modified. He turned extra keen and aggressive in pursuing his aim of taking part in for the nation. “His attitude took him to a different level. The intensity with which he bowled his first over was also visible in the final session. A fast bowler needs an attitude and he should have high intensity to bowl with the same passion every time. Thakur has all that,” Kulkarni says.
Zaheer, who was taking part in Ranji Trophy for Mumbai then, offered extra recommendation and inputs for the upcoming bowler. He informed Thakur in regards to the completely different calls for positioned on a quick bowler in every session of play. He additionally taught him different little tips of the commerce – like modifications in tempo and the even handed use of the bouncer.
Even earlier than the world knew about Thakur, Zaheer had predicted that he would play for India someday.
So when Thakur took seven wickets towards South Africa in Johannesburg on Tuesday, these near him weren’t stunned. They really feel Thakur’s perception units him aside. Childhood buddy Siddhesh Lad nonetheless remembers what the medium pacer as soon as informed him throughout a high-profile Mumbai college recreation. “Bade match mein perform karna important hai, chhoti team ko maar ke kya faida? (It’s important to perform in a big match. What’s the use of beating a small team?)”
Never overawed
Thakur’s rise has been meteoric in worldwide cricket and he’s the one who will be certain that his presence is all the time felt, even with the bat in Australia and England. Lad believes Thakur all the time tries to enhance his recreation and study new issues, by no means shirking exhausting work.
“He is the guy who will raise his hand when the situation is tough. He is the guy in the dressing room who will talk about taking on any batsman in the world. Such things motivate him and he likes to take on those better than him,” Lad explains.
South Africa’s batsman Temba Bavuma reacts after being dismissed by Shardul Thakur. (AP Photo)
“The team management and selectors think that I’m a genuine bowler. That’s why I’m here. My performances in domestic cricket, in red-ball and white-ball cricket have been rewarded. Whenever given an opportunity to play for India, I’m always up for it, especially Test cricket. When I’m playing red-ball cricket, my energy is different, my mindset is different. I’m always willing to take wickets for the team,” Thakur stated after Day 2 on the Wanderers.
“It’s important to have an understanding of the situations in the game and also, around the team, when you are playing in overseas conditions. Conditions change at every ground. We aren’t used to playing in these conditions. So, I have to keep adapting.”
Lad is aware of what Thakur is speaking about.
“He plans his bowling. He no longer runs in and just bowls. He will have something or the other running in his mind. He looks to set up batsman now. His planning makes him the bowler he is,” the Mumbai batsman stated.
Coming from Palghar, some 100 kilometres from Mumbai, Thakur is a robust character. “His work ethics have changed completely since the time he started to play higher-level cricket. The thought process is clear, he knows what he has in him and what he can do to achieve things. And yes, he never says no to any game. I remember once he flew for two days and still went on to play some India A games,” one other buddy Atif Attarwala stated.
“These (7-61) are my best figures, but the best is always yet to come I would say,” the star of the day stated on Tuesday.
From Thakur to Lord Thakur, it has been an upward trajectory.