Both Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni give free hand, reveals Shardul Thakur

Both Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni give free hand, reveals Shardul Thakur

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Shardul Thakur talked about how the freehand from Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni helped him become a better bowler in the IPL, after plying his trade for Kings XI Punjab. He further went on to talk about how he and Deepak Chahar are two different bowlers and have separate skill sets playing for CSK.

Relentless work in first-class cricket finally paid dividends to Shardul Thakur when he was picked up by Kings XI Punjab before IPL 2017. However, it was not until he moved to Rising Pune Supergiants’ in the next season where he began getting noticed. In his debut season for the Pune outfit, the right-arm seamer picked up 11 wickets, including best figures of 3-19 despite Supergiants’ bottom finish. 

In the next season, however, tables turned for the Supergiants’ with the inclusion of Jayadev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur in the bowling attack leading them to the finals. While Unadkat crossed the 20-wicket mark, Thakur fell marginally short with 16 wickets under his name in the tournament. Following that, MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming brought the seamer to Chennai following their IPL return. 

“When in the 2018 auction I went to CSK, I was very happy because we had the same support staff, Dhoni bhai was also around. I knew how our coach Stephen Fleming works, how Mahi bhai works. When you establish a rapport, it gets easier for the player,” he said, reported Hindustan Times. 

Furthermore, he talked about the impact that the duo had on shaping him into a better limited-overs bowler both in the powerplay and the death overs in sluggish Chennai conditions. 

“Whenever I play, both give me a free hand. They come and ask what my plan is for the opponent.‘What are you thinking? How are you going to tackle the batsmen? They give you that clarity,” he added. 

At CSK, Thakur formed a formidable partnership with fellow seamer Deepak Chahar who, in pair, have helped the Super Kings to many victories in the IPL. Furthermore, the duo featured together for India in the Windies series before Chahar’s injury as Thakur came in as a cover to the injured Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. 

“I don’t think we are fighting for the same spot. Don’t think we are similar bowlers. We have different sets of skills too. I don’t believe I am fighting for the same spot with anyone for that matter. If you do well, you are going to play. If he does well, he is going to play. At the end of the day, we are playing for the country,” he concluded. 

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