"He gets very limited credit for the way he bowls" - Aakash Chopra showers praise on Shardul Thakur
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has showered praise on all-rounder Shardul Thakur, saying that he gets limited credit for his bowling.
Shardul starred with the ball in the third ODI against the West Indies, helping India win the series decider by a mammoth 200-run margin. He picked up four wickets as the Men in Blue bundled out the hosts for 151 while defending 351 runs.
Chopra was mesmerized by Shardul's wicket-taking abilities. The cricketer-turned-commentator was also taken aback by the runs the Maharashtra-born all-rounder concedes while bowling.
“In the previous match itself, Shardul took three wickets," Aakash Chopra said in Jio Cinema. "He gets very limited credit for the way he bowls. I am trying to figure out how he takes so many wickets and why he is expensive, both things going hand-in-hand.”
Assessing Shardul Thakur's bowling further, Chopra pointed out that the former bowls a lot of wicket-taking deliveries and has a lot of self-belief.
“We say it’s wicket-taking luck, but if you closely observe Shardul, the reason why he has the wicket-taking luck is because he bowls in those areas and he has a lot of belief. If you ever ask him how good are you? He would answer: 'Equal to Dennis Lillee!' That’s the confidence he has, and I love him for that," he added.
Shardul Thakur had an excellent outing in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, finishing as the highest wicket-taker with eight scalps.
"If you are taking three wickets, the economy shouldn’t be much to worry" - Aakash Chopra on Shardul Thakur
The Team India all-rounder's high economy rate in limited-overs cricket has been a cause of concern. Shardul Thakur has an economy rate of 6.16 in ODIs, while it shoots up to 9.15 in the shortest format.
Aakash Chopra, however, reckoned that economy shouldn't be a concern if he is picking up three wickets in a match.
“If you are taking three wickets, the economy shouldn’t be much to worry about because 300 is going to be there as a target. He doesn’t give more than 6 runs per over, must be 6.1-6.2. The number of balls he bowls, the chances of him getting a wicket are very bright," Chopra stated.
Shardul will next be seen in action in the five-match T20 series against the West Indies, which gets underway in Trinidad on Thursday, August 3.