Shardul Thakur: I remembered Ravi Shastri’s words

Shardul Thakur en route his 67 against Australia on Day Three of the fourth Test. Pic/AFP

When Shardul Thakur stepped out to bat on Sunday, rescuing India from a precarious 186-6 was not the only target on his mind as he was also keen to impress the Australian crowd after being told how "rewarding" it would feel by coach Ravi Shastri.

Ravi Shastri

India were staring down the barrel at 186 for six on the third day of the fourth and final Test but Thakur (67) joined hands with debutant Washington Sundar (62) for a combative 123-run seventh wicket stand which helped his team cut down Australia's first innings lead to just 33 runs.

"When I walked in, the situation was difficult I would not deny that. The crowd was cheering for Australians bowlers. But I remembered our coach Ravi Shastri saying right at the start of the one-day series that ‘if you perform in this country, you will be rewarded,'" Thakur talked about the inspiration behind the unfazed manner with which he batted. "People will love you for your performances and this was also on my mind."

Batting at No. 8, Thakur impressed with his strokeplay, his drives coming straight out of coaching manual. At stumps, Australia were 54 ahead after reaching 21 for no loss in their second innings, following India's 336. "At the end of the day, it would help my team, that was the biggest positive. These two things were on my mind. The crowd would make a noise, but if I bat well, the same crowd will cheer for me," Thakur said at a virtual post-play press conference.

Cheered not just the crowd but also his teammates, who gave him a standing ovation on his way back to the dressing room. Thakur spoke about his love for batting and how he waited for such an opportunity. "I have some batting talent. Whenever the throwdown specialists with the team are available, I practise. These are the moments you train and wait for and you could do something for the team. The idea was to spend time, it would add runs and the deficit will also decrease."

He also admitted that travelling with the ‘A' team in this part of the world helped him improve. "The ‘A' tours are meant for second line up. They have helped a lot. We were here in 2016. When you play on those tours, the transition from India ‘A' to India is not difficult. It's how you execute your plans."

Tweet talk

Virat Kohli@imVkohli
Sundarwashi5 and @imShard. This is what test cricket is all about. Washy top composure on debut and tula parat maanla re Thakur!

Brief scores
Australia 369 & 21-0 v India (S Thakur 67, W Sundar 62, R Sharma 44; J Hazlewood 5-57, M Starc 2-88, P Cummins 2-94)