'We miss him definitely' - Shardul Thakur talks about MS Dhoni ahead of the 2nd ODI against South Africa in Ranchi

India and South Africa will clash against each other in the second ODI match at JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday (October 9). South Africa won the first match in Lucknow to take a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Now Ranchi, the hometown of former Indian captain and iconic player MS Dhoni, will host the must-win game for India.

Shardul Thakur was asked about Dhoni in the pre-match press conference on Saturday and the in-form pacer revealed that everyone misses the former wicketkeeper batter and also talked about the latter's experience ahead of the second ODI match. 

"Everybody misses him because his experience matters a lot. He has played more than 300 ODIs, close to 90 Tests and he played a lot of T20Is as well. So this much-experienced player, it is rare that you come across such an experienced player. We miss him definitely," said Shardul.

India have never played a one-sided game; the fight is always there: Shardul Thakur

Indian bowlers have struggled in the recent white-ball games and the first ODI match was no improvement at all. South Africa easily managed to put in a big 249-run total in just 40 overs while batting first as Indian bowlers managed to take only four wickets.

Shardul managed to take two big wickets and conceded only 35 runs in his eight-over spell. But the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Avesh Khan struggled for wickets and proved costly. South Africa also scored 200-plus totals in the last two T20I matches in this series to pour more criticism toward the Indian bowlers. But Shardul has pointed out that opponent bowlers are also conceding big runs and India never played a one-sided game.

"The bowlers who are coming to play here are also being hit for runs. If you look at the T20I series against South Africa and you criticise our bowlers, then you should criticise their bowlers as well because we won the series. Their bowlers were scored off as well. When you ask about someone's consistency, one should see the pitch conditions."

"Sometimes we play ODIs, where more than 350 runs are scored. In that case, every bowler will be taken for runs. India have never played a one-sided game; the fight is always there. There is always fight and the matches have been really good. We have lost 1-2 odd matches but we have won the maximum number of games so consistency is there within the team," Shardul added.