"Today was my day" - Shardul Thakur reflects on outstanding effort on Day 2 of Johannesburg Test

Team India pacer Shardul Thakur stated that he was fortunate to claim seven wickets on Day 2 of the Johannesburg Test against South Africa. Hailing senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami for bowling excellent spells, Thakur opined that it was just his day, which is why so many wickets came his way.

30-year-old Thakur claimed 7 for 61 on Tuesday to register the best bowling figures by an Indian against South Africa in Test matches. Courtesy the medium-pacer’s brilliance, India bowled out the hosts for 229, conceding a slender first-innings lead of 27.

At the press conference following the end of the day’s play, Thakur was asked about being the back-up pacer in the team despite consistently good performances. Downplaying his heroics, Thakur stated that Bumrah and Shami remain Team India’s strike bowlers. He commented:

“Shami and Bumrah are the strike bowlers of the team, so but naturally they will bowl more overs. At the start of the day, both were bowling really well. There were quite a few occasions when the ball stayed low but the inside edge either hit the pad or went past gully for four. I feel they were unlucky. They created a lot of opportunities but the wickets didn’t come.”

Looking back at his wonderful bowling spell, Thakur said he was happy to contribute to the team’s cause. Reiterating that all the bowlers played a crucial role, Thakur added:

“Fortunately, when I came on to bowl, I got wickets. When you play as a pack and bowl in partnerships, such things often happen. There may be days where I bowl very well but don’t get wickets but Shami and Bumrah might claim three or four scalps each. Today was my day. I am happy that it helped the team’s cause because the first innings scores were very close. They didn't get a very big lead.”

While Thakur claimed career-best figures of 7 for 61 on Tuesday, Shami ended with 2 for 52. Bumrah picked up 1 for 49.

“Bowl in the right spots”- Shardul Thakur on simple bowling plan

Asked if he had any specific bowling plans that worked wonders, Thakur replied that there was enough help from the surface and he was only trying to bowl in the right areas. The all-rounder elaborated:

“Even when we played in Centurion and here in Wanderers, there was and there is help in the pitch. So all you have to do is keep coming hard at the batsmen and bowl in the right spots. I was trying to do the same. When I started bowling, there was a length from where the ball was kicking in. It was also staying a bit low. All I did was to try to hit that spot and that crack.”

After Thakur’s seven-fer brought India back in the Johannesburg Test, the visitors got a lead of 58 by stumps. However, they lost both openers KL Rahul (8) and Mayank Agarwal (23) in the process.