Shardul Thakur wearing the jersey No. 10 excites his parents

Indian debutant Shardul Thakur wearing the No. 10 jersey, against Sri Lanka in the 4th ODI was the talk of the town. It was not for Thakur’s impressive debut but because, it was Sachin Tendulkar who wore and owned the number for over two decades. The Mumbai pacer opted for 10 on his back when he made his international debut at Colombo. He was effective in his maiden international appearance, as he bowled 7 overs and ended with figures of 1/26. However, Shardul was slammed by Tendulkar fans for wearing No. 10.

The Men in Blue registered their biggest wins against the Lankans defeating the hosts by 168 runs in the fourth ODI, to claim a 4-0 lead in the five-match series. Even after an impressive debut, young Thakur was criticised widely across social media. However, amidst the critique, it was the greatest occasion for his parents. His parents consider the debut and the jersey No. 10 remarkable moments for the challenging journey ahead.

“Jersey number 10 was Sachin Tendulkar’s also…We had no clue that Shardul would use the same jersey number. After all, Sachin Tendulkar being a class player, is also a great human being and who would not like to use this jersey number ? Number 10 proved to be Sachin’s lucky number, hope our son also earns name on the field of play,” said Shardul’s father, as quoted by the source Kashmir Times.

We didn’t expect him to play

Shardul was named in the 15-man squad for the limited-overs series against the Lankan Lions after experienced pacers Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav were rested for the series. However, the first choice seamers for the playing XI were always Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, but the with the former remaining wicket-less in the first three games, the skipper was tempted to give a chance to Shardul to display his talent.

“Till noon on the day of the match, we had no clue whether he would be given a chance in the final eleven and were happy to find his name at the toss (R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo),” said the father Narendra Thakur, in a conversation on the telephone from Palghar.

Shardul had earlier featured in the India A team that played and dominated the South African A team in their own backyard. That experience and performance paved his way into the Indian team.

“First, we were not sure about his inclusion and secondly, it happened so hurriedly. He could hardly spent a day in India on his return from South Africa and went to join the team in Sri Lanka,” he added.