CHENNAI: An all-round show helped India thrash West Indies by 200 runs in the third and final ODI in Trinidad on Tuesday. This win helped India win the series 2-1. A combined effort by batters Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson before bowlers Mukesh Kumar and in particular, Shardul Thakur took charge saw India get back to winning ways after the shock loss in the second ODI.
One of the notable performances in the series was that of Thakur who picked up eight wickets from three games with a best bowling figures of 4/37 in the decider on Tuesday. Apart from his bowling ability, Thakur has a flair for batting down the order which will bring him in contention for a place in the ODI World Cup squad. However, he wants to enjoy the opportunities he gets and not worry about selection matters.
"I am happy to have picked up eight wickets in this (West Indies) series. As a cricketer we wait for this opportunity for years, sometimes you perform, sometimes not. Whichever series I play, it always boosts my confidence, because I am only adding experience to my career," said Shardul. "I never think that I have to play to seal my spot because I can't play with that mentality and I am not that type of player. If I am not picked in the World Cup squad it's their call, I cannot do much about it. I always try to perform for the team and play according to the situation of a match," he added.
Like everyone else who follows Indian cricket, Shardul, too, believes that every game from now on was important for India to pick the right combination (team) for the World Cup. "With the World Cup coming up every game that you play is going to be important from the team's perspective. In batting, bowling and fielding departments, you are going to judge yourself, you are going to score some marks for yourself. Also, the team management will be looking at you, there will be a few players who will be looking at selection as well. For us, individually also all games that we play before the World Cup are important," he said.
Talking about the ODI series, Shardul insisted that the team wanted to try out a few things and was happy with the way they performed as a unit. "In the last match, as a group, we had decided that we will bat first and challenge ourselves with how much we can score batting first and then defend that score. It didn't materialise. But in Tuesday's game we put up a good score," said Shardul. "We expected a strong fight from the West Indies but Mukesh (3/30) bowled a fine opening spell with the new ball. The first three wickets were crucial. We bowled as a unit," he added
Although Yuzvendra Chahal didn't play a single match in the tour so far, Shardul believes that the leggie is a proven performer and that there is nothing to worry about. ''Chahal is a very good player, he has performed for years and proved himself. But whether to play him or not is the management's decision. He is that sort of player, whenever he plays he will perform. He picks up wickets in every match that he plays. I don't think he will be demoralised by not playing one series," he said.