‘I don't even know where it came from’ - Shardul Thakur after his blitzkrieg innings against RCB

With five wickets down inside the first 12 overs, Kolkata Knight Riders were in deep trouble against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first game at the Eden Gardens in almost four years. However, Shardul Thakur stepped up when it mattered the most and mesmerized everyone with his power-hitting abilities.

Notably, KKR spent INR 10.75 crore to sign the cricketer from Delhi Capitals and in his second match for the franchise, the 31-year-old justified the reason behind his huge price tag. His see-the-ball, hit-the-ball formula did wonders at the Eden Gardens and courtesy of his 68 runs off 29 deliveries, Kolkata Knight Riders posted a massive total of 204 runs on board after 20 overs.

Meanwhile, after his phenomenal innings, Shardul revealed that he had no idea where that innings came from. The Palghar-born cricketer also stated that he had practised a lot in the nets which included range-hitting and also slogging.

“I don't even know where it came from but looking at the scorecard at that time, everyone would have thought we are struggling. Your subconscious mind takes over. You also have to have skills to do that at a higher level, but we also work hard in the nets. There is a period where we can slog it in the nets. The coaching staff do the throwdowns and gives us the option of range-hitting. And you know the pitches - they always suit the batsmen, don't they?” Shardul was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

KKR spinners dismantle RCB’s batting unit

Chasing a mammoth total of 205 runs, RCB needed a strong start and Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis managed to do so until Nitish Rana introduced spinners. Spin wizard Sunil Narine gave the first breakthrough to the two-time champions as he dismissed Virat Kohli while Varun Chakravarthy sent du Plessis back to the pavilion after the skipper posted 23 runs on the board.

Varun went on to pick three more wickets while debutant Suyash Sharma impressed everyone with his three wicket-haul. Overall, the KKR spinners picked up nine wickets in the match and absolutely decimated RCB’s batting unit to win the match by 81 runs. Notably, with his four-wicket haul, Chakravarthy now stands second in the IPL Purple Cap race.