"Tradition continues" - After Shami in Centurion, Thakur poses with ball that wreaked havoc in Johannesburg
Team India pacer Shardul Thakur posed with the ball with which he claimed seven wickets on Day 2 of the Johannesburg Test against South Africa. A smiling Thakur is seen with bowling coach Paras Mhambrey in a picture uploaded by BCCI on their official Twitter handle.
30-year-old Thakur claimed 7 for 61 in 17.5 overs to rip through South Africa’s batting on Tuesday. At one stage, the hosts were well-placed to take a significant lead at 88 for 1. However, Thakur’s heroics restricted South Africa’s lead to 27 as the Proteas were all-out for 229 in response to India’s 202.
Following the second day’s play, the BCCI took to Twitter to post an image of Thakur and Mhambrey with the ball that saw the former register his career-best Test figures and also the best ever by an Indian against South Africa in Test matches. The upload also featured an image of Mohammed Shami and Mhambrey posing with the ball that saw Shami claiming a five-fer in the Centurion Test.
Sharing the images on their Twitter account, BCCI wrote:
“From Centurion to Johannesburg Stadium. The tradition continues. #TeamIndia #SAvIND.”
Shami followed his first-innings five-fer in Centurion with three in the second as India claimed a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series. In the ongoing Johannesburg Test, Thakur’s brilliance has put India in the ascendancy. It is now up to the batters to maximize the advantage on Day 3. The visitors gained a lead of 58 with eight wickets in hand by Stumps on Tuesday.
From Centurion to Johannesburg 🏟️
The tradition continues 👌👌
#TeamIndia #SAvIND https://t.co/NWjFlDMAhQ
“Lot of time left in the game” - Shardul Thakur terms match situation tricky
Despite India dominating Day 2 of the Johannesburg Test, thanks in main to Thakur, the 30-year-old does not believe that India are favorites to win the contest. Analyzing where the game stands after two days, Thakur pointed out:
“The current match-situation, if you see it’s tricky. The lead that we take from here and the bigger the target we set that is good, because as the game progresses and we all know that the last two days, it is not that easy to bat on the pitch. So, from our team’s point of view, the bigger target we set, and take the game long, that is good, because there is a lot of time left in the game."
STUMPS on Day 2 of the 2nd Test.
#TeamIndia 202 & 85/2, lead South Africa (229) by 58 runs.
Scorecard - bcci.tv/events/48/indi… #SAvIND https://t.co/OwcK1xZ7YW
A win in Johannesburg would not only maintain India’s unbeaten run at the venue but it would also see them register their maiden Test series triumph in South Africa.