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Indian fast bowler Shardul Thakur has revealed that he wanted teammate Mohammed Siraj to bag his maiden five-wicket haul in the final Test against Australia at the Gabba.
Australia were nine down in the second innings of the fourth Test, and both Shardul Thakur as well as Mohammed Siraj had picked up four wickets each.
The last pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were looking for quick runs, making it an opportunity for one among Thakur or Siraj to pick up the final wicket.
However, speaking to Sports Today, Shardul Thakur said that he wished Mohammed Siraj would get the five-for, as he wanted to see his fellow fast bowler make his late father proud.
"People were watching us that we're both on 4 wickets apiece [Siraj and Thakur]. We were both chasing a [maiden] 5-wicket haul. When I was bowling, all I could think of is if I take 5 wickets then it will be for the team. To be honest, I was wishing from the bottom of my heart that Siraj gets his 5-wicket haul because it was a very emotional time for him," Shardul Thakur said.
When the catch came to me, I had Mohammed Siraj's words about his father in mind: Shardul Thakur
Mohammed Siraj's final wicket to complete a five-for was that of Josh Hazlewood. The Australian tailender played an upper cut to one of his deliveries, and the ball headed straight towards Shardul Thakur at third man.
Thakur said that he was just hoping to hold on to the catch as he knew the kind of personal trauma Mohammed Siraj had gone through.
The 26-year-old had lost his father while undergoing hard quarantine in Sydney. However, he made the bold decision of staying back and fulfilling his father's ultimate dream - his son playing Test cricket.
"When the catch came to me, I was praying to God that this catch should not be dropped at any cost. I had Siraj's words about his father in mind, who was watching us from up above, and he would be very happy after the 5-wicket haul," Shardul Thakur said.
Although Thakur couldn't bag his maiden five-for, he took the catch and was happy to see an emotional Mohammed Siraj dedicate the achievement to his late father.
Thakur added in this regard:
"When he (Siraj) completed his five-for, I was genuinely very excited for Siraj. It was his maiden 5-wicket haul in Tests and it was a dramatic end to the innings, I was extremely stoked for him."
The selflessness of Shardul Thakur to help his teammate is a testament to the kind of bonding that this Indian team has had in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Siraj ended up as the leading wicket-taker for the visitors in the series, with 13 scalps to his name.
Despite being without their talisman Virat Kohli and having lost more than half a dozen players through injuries, Team India created history by becoming the first side to beat Australia at the Gabba in 32 years.
Youngsters like Siraj, Thakur, etc, contributed to the visitors' emphatic Test series win Down Under for the second consecutive time. This historic triumph has proved that Team India's bench strength is one of the strongest in the world.
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