'I was one of those guys who questioned him' - Aakash Chopra in awe of Shardul Thakur's skills after Johannesburg show

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Shardul Thakur for coming up with an excellent performance in the Johannesburg Test. The all-rounder had to step up after Mohammad Siraj faced a hamstring niggle and he gave his 100 percent for the side despite being considered as the fifth bowler in the side. He picked up seven wickets for just 61 runs in the first innings which proved to be the best figures for him in Tests so far.

The Mumbai seamer took his bowling confidence into his batting in the second innings as he scored a valiant 28 in tough conditions. He opted to play his shots and was caught in the deep square leg area playing a stroke. However, he remains one of the positives for India from the second Test and will remain as a long-time prospect especially in away conditions where he has contributed immensely.

I was one of those guys who asked questions: Aakash Chopra

Chopra addressed the performance of the 30-year-old on his Youtube Channel and mentioned that he was one of the first to question Thakur’s selection in the side. However, the second Test performance has left Chopra in awe of Thakur’s abilities with both bat and ball and revealed how tough it is to break partnerships despite coming into the bowling late.

“Shardul Thakur has been the pick of the Indian bowlers, rather the Indian players, in the second Test match. Personally, I was one of those guys who asked questions. If he is not scoring runs and is not picking up wickets in any case because if you are the fourth bowler, you don’t get the bowling. In fact, even when he took seven wickets, he bowled just one ball in the first 35 overs.”

“So, if you are not introduced in 35 overs and you are not able to score runs, which was the case in the first two or three innings, your place in the team is in question because then you will play a fourth fast bowler,” Aakash Chopra said on his Youtube Channel

Thakur has been given a lot of credit for the way he has been providing breakthroughs when the Indian heads seem to fall down and the self-confidence he possesses. The series is leveled at 1-1 with one more Test to go and India will be looking to win their first-ever Test series on the Proteas soil.

“But then, he just turned this Test match on its head by that inspiring spell. He took seven wickets, which is a huge achievement. After that, he scored crucial 28 runs with the bat because of which India got a lead of 239. So, in my opinion, Lord Thakur is absolutely phenomenal,” Chopra added