Why did Shardul Thakur choose jersey number 10?

Indian cricket fans have a special connection with the jersey number 10 which was the number legend Sachin Tendulkar wore. When the maestro retired from cricket, it seemed the jersey number would stay off the field with him. Perhaps it was done by his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians as a mark of tribute to the stalwart. But why did the debutant Shardul Thakur wore the jersey with the same number in the 4th ODI? After a successful debut, the bowler revealed the reason.

Shardul, in the 4th ODI, made his international debut for India and became the 218th player for the country to play One-Day Internationals. However, he was in the news straight away when the Men in Blue took the field to defend the total on Thursday evening. The youngster had worn the Indian jersey with the number 10 written on its back, which is forever associated with Sachin for his ardent fans. The rookie and BCCI were lashed by the fans when they the incident came to their notice.

Shardul himself revealed the reason

While he was facing criticism from the die hard fans, it was natural for him being asked the question after the match. In the post-match interaction with former Indian cricketer Murali Karthik, Thakur said, “My birth date’s sum total is 10 which is why I chose the number for my jersey as well.”

However, it was a talking point until then and during the match, even the cricket expert Harsha Bhogle, who was commentating during the game, pointed out an interesting fact that the initials shared by both Shardul and Sachin are same- ST. Few were of the opinion that being a Mumbai lad he was awarded the jersey with the same number as of the master blaster.

Shardul bowled well in his first appearance at the highest level, he bent his back and was able to extract express pace from the Colombo wicket. He got his maiden wicket in his first spell and returned with the figures of 1/26 in 7 overs. Earlier in the day, Thakur had received his cap from a former Mumbai cricketer, now the head coach of the team, Ravi Shastri.