"He got angry when he didn't get enough batting in the nets" - Imran Tahir shares his experiences with Shardul Thakur at CSK

Imran Tahir has revealed that Shardul Thakur used to take his batting very seriously when he played for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and even got angry when not given enough time at the nets.

Thakur played an enterprising 28-run knock in India's second innings of the ongoing second Test against South Africa. The knock bailed Team India out of trouble and helped them set a decent fourth-innings target for the Proteas.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Imran Tahir spoke about the time he spent with Shardul Thakur during his stint with CSK. He said:

"He takes a lot of pride in his batting. He takes his batting very seriously. I play with him for Chennai and he does a lot of batting practice. On one or two occasions, he got angry when he didn't get enough batting in the nets."

The former South Africa leg-spinner also highlighted the significance of Shardul Thakur's knock on Day 3 of the Johannesburg Test. Tahir explained:

"It shows that he is very keen regarding his batting. He made very vital runs in yesterday's game. They are very important runs. The way this match will progress, you will see the value of those runs and I believe the positive way in which he played, it is his natural game and he got the reward for that as well."

Thakur has played some crucial knocks for Team India in his brief Test career to date. His 67 against Australia at the Gabba and dual fifties in the Oval Test against England helped India win both those matches.

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"The shots Shardul Thakur played were like a proper batter" - Gautam Gambhir

Shardul Thakur has excelled with his all-round skills in the Johannesburg Test

Gautam Gambhir pointed out that Shardul Thakur needs to contribute regularly with the bat. He reasoned:

"Excellent contribution and because of that only Shardul Thakur is in the playing XI. If you bat at No.8, you will want to perform with both bat and ball. The shots he played were like a proper batter."

The former India cricketer concluded by saying that Shardul Thakur has been exceptional in the Johannesburg Test thus far. Gambhir elaborated:

"First he took seven wickets and after that, important 28 runs. It was a very good over he bowled to Aiden Markram and he got the reward as well. So whatever performance he has given till now, it has been exceptional."

Thakur is the only Indian seamer to have picked up a wicket in South Africa's second innings thus far. The 30-year-old will hope to extend his dream run and bowl India to a series win at the Wanderers.