"I always think about wickets whether it is the first over or the last" - Shardul Thakur

Indian pace bowler Shardul Thakur recently reacted to often being called the 'golden arm' due to his knack of taking wickets out of nowhere. The right-arm seamer revealed that he is always on the lookout for wickets even if it means conceding runs.

Thakur is one of the pacers under consideration to play in the 2023 World Cup set to be contested in India from October 5 to November 19. While the Maharashtra-born cricketer has modest statistics in 50-over international cricket, he is an impact player and is a clean striker of the ball.

When asked about his approach to bowing, the 31-year-old responded that he believes in making his fellow bowlers' lives easier by going for wickets all the time.

Speaking to The Hindustan Times, he explained:

"I always think about wickets whether it is the first over or the last. I believe that wickets are game-changing. I may concede a four but if I can get a wicket, it can make it easier for other bowlers. So, everyone has a certain role to play in a team. Right now, I am looked at as a bowler who will go after wickets."

Thakur also took pride in his recent performances in the West Indies in the absence of first-choice players but highlighted the need to win an ICC trophy soon.

"I am feeling good about how I am bowling in ODI cricket," he said. "The format is constantly evolving, so you have to keep adding things to your game. I am happy that I was able to deliver in the West Indies ODI series with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj not around."

"The WTC final loss wasn’t easy to take. It keeps playing on our mind because we know our next chance will take another two years. Winning an ICC tournament is very important for us," he added.

India's latest hope of winning an ICC trophy was crushed in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Australia steamrolled Rohit Sharma and Co. by 209 runs to lift the mace. Thakur was part of the Indian side and scored a spirited 51 in their first innings.

"You have to keep adding to your skills" - Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur celebrates a wicket. (Credits: Twitter)

Thakur mentioned that the magnitude of pressure at the international level means a bowler must keep reinventing himself.

"At this level, you are being studied all the time. You have to keep adding to your skills," he said. "I started as an outswing bowler. Now I have developed the ball which comes back into the right-hander. I use the cross-seam delivery which sometimes even I don’t know where it would go after pitching. That’s a natural variation. I just try to land it in the right spot. But wickets after all are results."

The right-arm seamer highlighted the knuckle ball as one of his go-to deliveries, having first used it in IPL 2017.

"The knuckle ball is one of my go-to variations when I want to fox the batsmen," he said. "The first time I used it was in IPL 2017 but I had been practicing it in the nets for Mumbai for two years. It’s one of those variations, if you are confident and can execute at will, it’s a great delivery to have. It’s how you disguise it. When I bowl the knuckle ball, I hide the ball."

Despite providing some telling performances in ODIs, Thakur faces close competition with Jaydev Unadkat for a place in the 2023 World Cup squad.