IND vs ZIM 2022: “Ye jersey mujhe dede Thakur” - Twitterati give cricketing twist to 'Sholay' as Shikhar Dhawan bats wearing Shardul Thakur’s jersey

Shikhar Dhawan batted with Shardul Thakur’s jersey in the 3rd ODI.

Team India opener Shikhar Dhawan went out to bat wearing all-rounder Shardul Thakur’s jersey in the third ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare on Monday (August 22).

Men in Blue skipper KL Rahul won the toss for the third time in a row. However, unlike in the first two games, this time he decided to bat first. Rahul himself stepped out to open the innings with Dhawan.

What caught the attention of fans, though, was that the latter was not wearing his own jersey, but that of Thakur's. The opening batter’s jersey for the match had No. 54 on the back along with a tape covering Thakur's name.

It did not take long for the Twitterati to come up with some interesting Gabbar-Thakur memes from the iconic movie 'Sholay', with Gabbar being Dhawan’s nickname.

Some even criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for being unable to get proper jerseys for players despite being the richest cricketing body in the world. Here are some the reactions:

Gabbar ne aaj Thakur ki jersey pehn li .... LoL 😆😆😂😂🤣😅 #ZIMvIND @BCCI @cricketaakash @bhogleharsha @SonyLIV

Gabbar (#ShikharDhawan) wearing Thakur’s (Shardul) Jersey! #ZIMvIND #INDvZIM https://t.co/wWU4RD8hcH

Gabbar wearing Thakur's jersey eh? #ZIMvIND

Dhawan having Lord level luck with Lord's jersey

Shikhar Dhawan is wearing Shardul Thakur's No.54 jersey with a tape on it..His jersey No. is 42..#IndvsZim #3rdOdi

Dhawan wearing Shardul Thakur’s jersey

#ZIMvIND https://t.co/pE9wJC5noZ

Why Dhawan wearing Load thakur's jersey number today's match🤔

@SDhawan25 @imShard
@rpsingh @cricbuzz
#ZIMvIND

Very happy to see shardul Dhawan opened for india . I don't know why million dollars @BCCI don't have Jersey for players. #MPL #mplsports worst kit sponsor ever..

In today's match Gabbar(shikhar) be like "ye Jersey mujhe Dede thakur" #ShikharDhawan #Shardulthakur #INDvsZIM

All the while we thought Shikar Dhawan was 'GABBAR' but came out wearing 'THAKUR' today! Aise kyu kia bhai @SDhawan25 #ZIMvIND #ShikharDhawan

Dhawan had a lucky escape when he was dropped at point off Richard Ngarava’s bowling in the seventh over of India’s innings. The southpaw and Rahul added a sedate 63 for the opening wicket. The stand was broken when Brad Evans bowled Rahul for 30 off 46 balls.

Dhawan was then dismissed for 40 off 68 by Evans. After 22 overs, Team India had reached 89 for two.

Team India have made two changes for 3rd ODI against Zimbabwe

India went into the game with two changes to their playing XI from the last match. Rahul announced after winning the toss that Deepak Chahar and Avesh Khan are coming in for pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.

Zimbabwe have also made two changes for the game. Richard Ngarava and Tony Munyonga are in for Tanaka Chivanga and Wesley Madhevere.

India vs Zimbabwe 3rd ODI playing XIs

India: Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson (w), Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan.

Zimbabwe: Takudzwanashe Kaitano, Innocent Kaia, Regis Chakabva (c & wk), Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Ryan Burl, Tony Munyonga, Luke Jongwe, Brad Evans, Victor Nyauchi, Richard Ngarava.