IND vs NZ | Mohammad Shami’s Hamilton heroics kept me going after the boundary, reveals Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur shared that he looked to take on the Kiwis when he stepped up for the final over in Wellington and added that Shami’s heroics in Hamilton kept his spirit alive to pull it off. The pacer admitted that the knuckleball did the trick, but the boundary later invited pressure.
It was a rare sight at the Sky Stadium, as India and New Zealand headed into a super over for the second time in two matches. It was a superb final over from Shardul Thakur, where he successfully defended 7 runs, which took the game away from the Kiwis' grasp.
Thakur shared that he looked to take the fight to the batsmen as he stepped up for the big over, where the knuckleball did the trick without fail. The Mumbai lad got the experienced campaigner Ross Taylor on the very first delivery to take off the burden on himself.
"There was a lot of pressure. I was trying to get a wicket on the first ball. Mostly, a batsman tries to go for four or six on the first ball to try and finish the match as early as possible,” Thakur told on Chahal TV, a BCCI podcast. “My idea was that I will give a slow ball to make them go for a big hit. The plan worked. When I was hit for a four on the second ball, then the pressure increased."
Thakur revealed that senior pacer Mohammed Shami’s heroics the other day at Seddon Park, which dragged the game to a super over, helped him muster courage to keep going and keep believing.
"But in crunch situations, you can get hit for a six or a four, so I did not lose hope. We saw how Shami Bhai was hit for a six on the first ball, but then he defended 3 runs in 5 balls. So why can't the same happen here. It can happen again."
Shardul was adjudged the Man of the Match for his last over heroics and his handy contribution of 20 with the bat which helped India put up a fighting total in the first place.