Shreyas Iyer - Shardul Thakur (1)

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Shardul Thakur might have pleasantly surprised a section of the fans with his performances on the cricket field for India and the Chennai Super Kings. However, those who have played cricket along with him know the amount of confidence Shardul has in his own ability which helps him succeed against the toughest of oppositions.

Shardul's Mumbai teammates Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw narrated an incident each from their domestic career involving the 29-year-old. Iyer recalled that it was his first year with the Mumbai team when they needed some 4 runs to win in the final over against Saurashtra and Shardul was batting on 30 odd with only 2 wickets remaining.

In this old interview with Vikram Sathaye, Shreyas further reveals how Shardul hit one ball which went miles in the air but was lucky to be dropped and eventually finished the match for Mumbai. However, upon reaching the dressing room when his teammates told him that for a moment they were scared that he might get caught, the Palghar boy remarked, "Paagal hai kya. Mereko pata tha wo catch chhodega."

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Similarly, Shaw recalled how Shardul was once instructed to play cautiously for a few overs and look for ones and two as Mumbai had lost early wickets. However, in an attempt to go for the big shot he was caught but when he returned to the pavilion, he maintained that he had only looked for a single but timed it sweeter than his liking.

The instances are two of the many reasons why Shardul, who became Team India's star after having helped India win a Test match each in Australia and England, is often referred to as "Lord Thakur". Although Shardul missed out on a place in the T20 World Cup, he is currently playing for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021 and has been in good form.

CSK have already qualified for the Playoffs and are prime contenders to lift the trophy given the consistency they have shown this season. However, the Men in Yellow succumbed to a rare defeat on Saturday against Rajasthan Royals where they failed to defend a total of 189 runs.