Shardul Thakur’s 45 Minutes of Fun Brings KKR and Eden Gardens to Life

When Andre Russell left for a first ball duck, KKR, with a line-up seen as the worst in the league was staring down the barrel. RCB, with a good bowling attack, and some of the best batters in the World looked all the more intimidating. Shardul Thakur though walked out with the stage set for him. From the time of his debut, he has proven to be a handy batter, who has saved India in Red ball cricket on a few occasions. Known for his saving 50s at Gabba and Oval, the situation was perfect for him at Kolkata.

While his consistency has not been the best, Thakur proved that he enjoys the big stage and took the bowlers on, at a time where the bowling side was on top. He loves the contest, and while fans had a really fun time watching him take on the bowlers with some outrageous shots, he had the look on his face indicating that he meant business.

Just as he did in Gabba and at the Oval, Shardul Thakur produced heroic performances but not finish as the star performer. His batting though, as it was then pure entertainment. The ability to hook Cummins over square leg is an indicator of his attacking ability. Here, at Kolkata, Shardul Thakur, who failed to connect a defensive shot off the first ball he faced realized that attacking was his best bet. He then went on to display incredible wrist work, batting in a manner that was effective and with a style built of a really strong base.

He kept swinging, and on many occasions, Shardul Thakur did sky the ball only to see it land between two fielders, as he obtained a golden touch for a brief period. It was his day for those 45 to 50 minutes, and the World was his as he swung the bat with a lot of fortune. From 94-5, it was Shardul Thakur, and Rinku Singh, who supported him admirably, who took Kolkata to a position where they could call the shots. It was one-sided up until that partnership, and their partnership changed the story.

Kolkata, with few big names in the side all of a sudden was rolling, and the crowd found its voice. They did cheer Kohli on, as most crowds would, but once the Knight Riders got their momentum, it was one way traffic with the crowd. His innings, and the fun he had would not be complete without a mention of Rinku Singh’s contribution. in the last year, Rinku Singh has proven to be a handy player in the Kolkata line-up, and he was happy to play second fiddle as Shardul Thakur took the bowlers on from the other end.

In the end, both of them combined to set-up an easy win as the spinners, Narine and Chakravarthy ran through the RCB top-order with ease. A freakish partnership took them to an unimaginable score from where they were and now, KKR are left believing that they can make a mark this season as they get ready to take on the high flying Gujarat Titans.