Shardul Thakur got angry when he didn’t get enough batting time in CSK nets: Imran Tahir

South African spinner Imran Tahir was in full praises for his former Chennai Super Kings teammate Shardul Thakur. Tahir remembered how Thakur used to get angry when he didn’t get enough chance to bat in the nets during the IPL. He also mentioned that the Indian all-rounder takes his batting very seriously and it is the reason he has produced some match-winning knocks in the past.

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During the second innings of the second Test against South Africa, Thakur made of 28 runs off 24 balls that included five boundaries and one six. He added 41 runs for the seventh wicket along with Hanuma Vihari who made 40 not-out. These two knocks helped India post a target of 240 runs which South Africa chased down with seven wickets in hand.

"He (Shardul Thakur) takes a lot of pride in his batting. He takes his batting very seriously. I play with him for Chennai and he does a lot of batting practice. On one or two occasions, he got angry when he didn’t get enough batting in the nets," Tahir said during an interaction with Star Sports.

Former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir, who was also a part of the same panel, also said some nice words regarding Thakur’s performance in recent times.

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“If you bat at No.8, you will want to perform with both bat and ball. The shots he played were like a proper batter,” Gambhir said.

During the Brisbane Test against Australia last year, Thakur made his maiden half-century during the first innings. He and Washington Sundar had a partnership of 123 runs for the seventh wicket, which helped India post a total of 336 runs in the first innings. In the end, Rishabh Pant’s 89-run knock guided India to a victory by three wickets.

During the Oval Test against England, Thakur again played an important role in both innings. He made 57 in the first innings and helped India reach a total of 191 run, while in the second innings, he scored 60 and India scored massive 466 runs. India won the match by 157 runs as England could make only 210 runs in the second innings, with Thakur picking two wickets in the second innings including the prized wicket of Joe Root and Rory Burns.