"Both me and Washington Sundar have that temperament to succeed at this level" - Shardul Thakur
Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has revealed that both he and Washington Sundar had the self-belief that they can be successful in Test cricket.
The duo added a record 123 runs for the seventh wicket and brought Team India right back into the fourth Test against Australia in Brisbane.
Shardul Thakur had walked out to bat at the Gabba when the visitors were reeling at 186-6 - still 183 runs behind Australia's first-innings score. However, both of them batted brilliantly to ensure that the hosts got a lead of only 33 runs.
In a video conference after the end of the day's play, Shardul Thakur disclosed the plan between him and Washington Sundar to tackle the Australian quicks.
"Both of us have that temperament to succeed at this level, honestly we were not looking at the scoreboard, the idea was to spend some time in the middle. We knew their bowlers were tiring, it was a matter of one hour, if we hung in there for one more hour then probably we would be on the top," Shardul Thakur said.
Shardul Thakur had not batted much with Washington Sundar prior to this game. However, he stressed that the duo had a great understanding.
The adrenaline rush at times forced them to play rash shots. But they kept on communicating that it was important to not throw their wicket away at that stage.
"Both of us were communicating really well in the middle, if someone was losing control or trying a rash shot, we were immediately communicating that let's get back to normal," he further added.
Both me and Washington Sundar were trying to put the loose deliveries away: Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur also said that both him and Washington Sundar were looking to be as resolute in defence as possible. This frustrated the Aussie pacers, and in the effort of trying too hard to break the partnership, they occasionally bowled poor deliveries.
The 29-year-old ensured that such opportunities to score were not wasted, as reducing the first-innings deficit was equally crucial for the visitors.
"We were trying to defend a lot, as our partnership went on, we know there is some true bounce here at Gabba, we were just waiting for our chance, whenever there was a loose delivery, we were trying to put that away," Shardul Thakur asserted.
Ever since their appalling defeat in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, India have staged a fantastic comeback to keep the series alive.
Shardul Thakur believes he was always motivated to give his best for his team and help them do well in a series decider.
"It is a long tour, as a player, it is challenging to stay motivated and do well in the last game, the series is tied at 1-1, this game turns out to be the series decider so you do not need extra motivation, it is about giving 100 per cent for the team," he further added.
Australia ended day three 54 runs ahead and with all 10 wickets in hand. However, with rain likely to play spoilsport for the final two days, the hosts will be desperate to try their best and force a result.
India, on the other hand, only require a draw to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.