'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Shardul Thakur has expressed his excitement about playing in the IPL under MS Dhoni’s captaincy again. The player described Dhoni as one of the greatest ever in the sport and asserted that he's looking forward to learning a lot of things from the legend.
Thakur was a key member of the Mumbai team that won the Ranji Trophy for the 42nd time by beating Vidarbha in the final on Thursday, March 14. He scored a hundred in the semifinal against Tamil Nadu and a half-century in the final.
Speaking to news agency ANI following Mumbai’s triumph, Thakur shared his thoughts on playing for CSK under Dhoni’s astute leadership.
"I do not have a plan of action for the IPL. Dhoni sahab is there. He is one of the greatest cricketers ever in the world.
"I will play under him again and I have played under him before, so I will try to learn a lot of things and how he gets performances out of players," the 32-year-old said.
Thakur earlier represented CSK in the IPL from 2018 to 2021. He claimed 21 wickets in 16 games when the Chennai Super Kings won the title in the 2021 edition. The all-rounder represented Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 and Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023.
CSK begin their IPL 2024 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 22. They beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets (via DLS method) last season to win the IPL for the fifth time.
"Whenever you win a trophy, your confidence increases" - Shardul Thakur on Ranji Trophy triumph
Speaking about Mumbai's Ranji Trophy win following a challenging season, Thakur said that winning a trophy gives players a lot of confidence. Mumbai recovered from tough situations in both the semifinal and the final.
"Whenever you win a trophy, your confidence increases, and it gives you an edge over other players and teams. You have a lot of confidence. We as players make an effort to continue the momentum we get from our performances."
Chasing an improbable target of 538 to win the Ranji Trophy 2024, Vidarbha resumed Day 5 at 248-5. Akshay Wadkar (102) and Harsh Dubey (65) offered stiff resistance, but Tanush Kotian starred with 4-95 as Mumbai bowled out their opponents for 368.
