IPL 2023: Thakur brings joy to Kolkata
CHENNAI: Shardul Thakur is the kind of batter who delivers and then stands. His predominant craft is when he runs in with the ball in his hand. He’s more entertaining, though, when he wields his willow. It may not be aesthetically pleasing but damn aesthetics. Not when you score a wildly enjoyable 20-ball 50. When the all-rounder, traded to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs10.55 cr before the last auction, came in, the hosts were ready to throw in the towel against Royal Challengers Bangalore. They were 5/89, the second time they had lost two in as many deliveries.
helping KKR beat RCB by 81 runs. (Photo | PTI)
The Afghan opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, was dismissed for a 44-ball 57 before Andre Russell was scalped for a one baller. Thakur’s first mission was to face Karn Sharma’s hat-trick ball. He misjudges the spin but still gets an inside edge to beat fine leg. If his first boundary was something you would see in gully cricket, most of his other shots was stuff of video games.
There was inside out over extra cover for a four. One lofted six over long on. A conventional sweep for four that ought to have a blue tick next to it in a few days without needing to pay $7 per month. One pulled six off a Michael Bracewell drag down that disappeared into a capacity crowd watching their team for the first time since the pandemic. It was a similar kind of knock he had played against England at The Oval in 2021. A man with a first class average of 16 had removed the conditions from the equation as he went about tearing the history books that day.
On Thursday, the 31-year-old, who has an average of 10.72 at a strike rate of 123.4 in T20s, made a mockery of that record. Coming into this match, 141st of his career, he had 19 fours and 14 6s since making his debut in 2015. In a little over 45 minutes, he hit nine fours and three sixes. What worked in his favour — what always seems to work in his favour — is his self belief. He knows what he can do and throws himself into it wholeheartedly. If it works, super. If it doesn’t, there’s always a next time. There are no regrets. YOLO. In that sense, he’s the ultimate vibes cricketer. He’s a walking entertainment channel when he’s batting. One only needed to watch his first ball six against Punjab Kings the other night. Facing Sam Curran, Thakur produced a Shubman Gill-ish short-arm jab which sailed into the crowd over wide mid-wicket. Hello swag. Meet impudence.
A bit like his innings at the Eden Gardens. He looked cool while essaying those shots. In the stands, fans were dancing. Next to them, Shah Rukh Khan, one of the many stakeholders, was clapping. On social media, KKR fans were doing the same. That’s the kind of effect Thakur’s innings had on the fanbase. They haven’t had a lot of joy in recent times but his innings was fun; chicken soup for the soul. At the other end, Rinku Singh played anchor before showing his range in the death as he lifted the side to beyond 200. Whatever happens to Kolkata from hereon in, they will always have the half-an-hour of madness Thalur & Co. provided. An everlasting memory.
Brief scores: KKR 204/7 in 20 ovs (Gurbaz 57, Thakur 68) bt RCB 123 n 17.4 ovs (Varun 4/15, Suyash 3/30).