Shardul Thakur: My positivity and passion can help India at T20 World Cup
Indian pacer Shardul Thakur aims to learn from the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour as he sets his sights on the T20 World Cup later this year.
Published : Feb 17, 2020 18:22 IST
Shardul Thakur’s thoughts reflect the positivity in the way the team's thinking about performances of individual players. He is back home after the T20 series against New Zealand, followed by the ODI series. The fast bowler came in for punishment from the Kiwis in the one-dayers, after a couple of match-winning displays in the T20 series preceding it.
Replying to a query about being at the receiving end of big-hitting by the New Zealand batsmen in the ODIs, Thakur explained: Everyday is not the same, these are the challenges as a bowler or as a cricketer we have to face and overcome. You just have to keep your head high and keep trying and executing accordingly.” He was speaking on the sidelines of Tata Power’s green initiatives campaign launch.
The Mumbai and India bowler elaborated: “We have the freedom to express ourselves in the field, there is no stress over it. And it has been a great team atmosphere overall. The coaching staff has been really helpful. No matter what, they ask you to go all out and carry out the variations, execute what you want to do.”
Thakur is not part of the Test squad, leaving him free to work on his game with an eye on the major events coming up. Replying to a question whether the Indian Premier League 2020 or the ICC World Cup T20 this year will be his focus, he said: “The IPL is important and the momentum that we take from it will be crucial going forward.”
The Chennai Super Kings bowling all-rounder is firm on winning a place on the World Cup squad. He said: “I have my eyes set on the T20 World cup certainly. I believe that the positivity that I bring to the game, the confidence I have or the way I am passionate about the game will certainly help to do the job fairly for the team.”
Going back to the away games against the Kiwis, he agrees there are lessons to be learnt from the ODI reverses, after T20 victories.
He observed: “New Zealand you know it is tough for everyone. The dimensions of boundaries are also very different at every ground there. These are the challenges we had to face and I think I did well on the tour. One or two games were up and down for me, I keep learning from it.”