No one can forget India’s win at the Gabba in the last Australia tour, as the result is still fresh in everyone’s mind. India came and thumped the Aussies at their known fortress, the popular Gabba stadium. What made the win special was that despite many players dealing with injuries and some unavailable, India still went on to dominate the Aussies with a young team that didn’t have much experience playing Test cricket for India. But they all came together, and the team delivered results.
The victory saw Australia’s first defeat at the venue in 32 years in Test cricket. From Rishabh Pant to Shubman Gill, everyone became a star of the game. And as mentioned, no one can forget the golden memories of that match, whether they were fans or players themselves who were part of the squad. One of the key members of that particular squad, Shardul Thakur, recently opened up about how they all scripted the Gabba win. Despite not making many runs with the bat, Rohit Sharma helped the youngsters from the dugout.
Shardul Thakur on Rohit Sharma
Shardul, whose first innings in the first Test match set the tone for India after Ajinkya Rahane’s side suffered a few troubles at the top, was at 186/6 in response to Australia’s 369. He made a crucial 67 runs and shared a 123-run partnership with Washington Sundar, who made 62 runs. Recently, in an interview with Cricket Monthly, Shardul Thakur talked about how Rohit Sharma helped him from the dugout while Thakur was batting. “Rohit was talking to me in sign language from the dugout. He would indicate when a bowler was tiring or coming to the end of his spell. Like, I think that happened when Hazlewood was coming to the end of a spell. Rohit asked me to wait and not push to play shots”.
Shardul Thakur on Cheteshwar Pujara
In the conversation, Thakur also mentioned one of the heroes of that tour, Cheteshwar Pujara, who single-handedly tackled many bowlers and showcased his class. Thakur specifically talked about how he learned to tackle Nathan Lyon from Pujara, ‘In the previous Test, I had seen how Cheteshwar Pujara had tackled Lyon in Sydney when the ball was turning square. He was using his feet a lot—stepping out but also going deep in his crease. Initially, when I faced Lyon, I tried to stay deep in my crease, but I realized he could get me out if I got stuck there, with the tempting lines and lengths. You would attempt to push the ball towards cover and get a nick off a ball that turns in, with short leg coming into play”.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
IND vs AUS 3rd Test LIVE: Rain gets heavier, no signs of resumption
Top Stories
