"You expect such innings from Andre Russell or Sunil Narine" - Irfan Pathan lauds Shardul Thakur's knock in KKR's win against RCB

Irfan Pathan recently lauded Shardul Thakur for playing a belligerent knock that is usually expected from the likes of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) lineup.

Shardul smoked 68 runs off just 29 balls as KKR set a massive 205-run target for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Thursday's, April 6, IPL 2023 clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The KKR spinners then ran through the RCB batting lineup as the two-time champions registered a comprehensive 81-run win.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked about his thoughts on Shardul Thakur's knock, to which he responded:

"You expect such innings from Andre Russell or Sunil Narine, or you can probably expect it from Nitish Rana. You expect 20 to 40-run knocks from Shardul Thakur, but that was a game-changing knock."

The former Indian all-rounder praised Shardul for bailing KKR out of a precarious position, elaborating:

"The knock came in a difficult situation. It was a situation where KKR could have been totally out of the game. There Shardul Thakur came. The score was 89 and after that, the fearless approach with which Shardul batted, it was amazing."

Shardul joined Rinku Singh in the middle when KKR were in dire straits at 89/5 after 11.3 overs. The duo smashed 103 runs off the next 7.3 overs to give their side the upper hand.

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"When he played for Chennai, he never got a chance to bat at that position" - Mohammad Kaif on Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur struck nine fours and three sixes during his innings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Mohammad Kaif added that Shardul made the most of the opportunity to bat slightly up the order, saying:

"When he played for Chennai (Super Kings), he never got a chance to bat at that position. They always had all-rounders and he got to bat at No. 9 or No. 10 and didn't get to bat much, but he got an opportunity today. He has a simple game plan. He played proper shots."

The former Indian batter pointed out that the all-rounder plays conventional cricketing shots and does not try any fancy strokes, explaining:

"He tries to hit straight down the ground or plays the pull. He doesn't show much confidence in sweeps or reverse sweeps. He shows the full face of the bat, has an extremely strong base and watches the ball properly. He has done this job earlier as well at the Gabba in Australia."

Shardul's 68-run knock was his maiden half-century in the IPL. His previous highest score was an unbeaten 29 for the Delhi Capitals in last season's edition of the league.