Former India opener Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Shardul Thakur for claiming crucial wickets in the series opener against West Indies on Friday. Thakur has a knack for taking crucial wickets in crunch situations and he did the same during 1st ODI as he dismissed Shamarh Brooks and Kyle Mayers. Chasing the 309-run target, West Indies lost Shai Hope early for seven. However, Brooks and Mayers shared a 117-run stand to put Windies on top in the tricky chase.
In the 24th over, Thakur dismissed Brook for 46 to break the crucial stand. The 30-year-old dismissed Mayers in the next over to pull India back into the game.
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Chopra feels that Thakur has some power to take big wickets in crunch situations and his two wickets in 1st ODI shifted the momentum in India’s game.
“Lord Thakur has some powers that he picks up wickets. There was a partnership between Shamarh Brooks and Kyle Mayers. But then you got wickets, not one but two, and who takes those wickets, who dismisses Brooks and Mayers – Lord Thakur. Did those wickets fall on deliveries that deserved a wicket, may not be the case," Chopra said on YouTube.
The former cricketer emphasized on Thakur’s wicket-taking deliveries and said that he hurt the opposition’s heart.
“One was slightly a wide delivery and the other one was slightly short. Shikhar Dhawan didn’t give him the full quota of overs in this match, he was stopped because he was proving very expensive and it didn’t seem that he will pick up wickets, but it is not about what it seems, Shardul hurts the opposition’s heart," he added.
The cricketer-turned commentator further lauded Mohammed Siraj for his impressive show with the new ball.
“When the opposition team came to bat, then Siraj at the start. Siraj Miya is doing very well, he is brilliant. The bad times Shai Hope is going through, he continued that further, he got out early. Yuzi Chahal, of course, a couple of wickets," he added.
However, he further criticized Prasidh Krishna and Axar Patel for their below-par performances in the last few matches.
“Prasidh Krishna and Axar Patel are struggling a little bit. There was a slight injury concern with Axar but his performance has not been that good in the last few matches. Prasidh Krishna has been playing regularly now but the penetration or the wicket-taking is not coming. He has not been able to nail those yorkers," Chopra said.
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