Shardul Thakur excites CSK fans on arriving in Chennai ahead of India vs England 1st Test

Indian speedster Shardul Thakur might probably have experienced the most exciting time of his cricketing career till date during the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The right-hander was one of the architects of India's historic win at The Gabba which enabled them to clinch the series 2-1. Thakur's all-round show against Australia in the one-off Test he played in earned him a place in the India squad for England Tests 2021.

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Shardul Thakur expresses gratitude for love and blessings

After securing a historic Test series win, Thakur was welcomed with a heroic reception last week as he returned to his home in Palghar, Mumbai. On Wednesday, Thakur took to Twitter and expressed his amazement and gratitude for all the love and blessings he has been receiving since returning from Australia.  He also revealed that he is back with the Indian squad and is looking forward to the England series.

As soon as Thakur posted the tweet, fans flooded it with their responses. Several reactions poured is as CSK fans expressed their excitement to see Thakur play the first Test against England in Chennai. Here's how the Twitterati reacted to Thakur's tweet.

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Meanwhile, Thakur who played his first match of the series and just the second of his Test career at The Gabba returned with figures of 3-94 and 4-61 at The Gabba. Moreover, Thakur surprised everyone with the bat as he notched up his maiden Test fifty under the extreme duress of losing the series-decider. The 29-year-old shared a 123-run stand with debutant Washington Sundar to keep India’s first-innings deficit down to just 33 runs.

Thakur, who bowled with pace and aggression, batted with grit and determination throughout the series-deciding Test match at The Gabba. Notably, the cricketer has also pocketed some safe catches in the field on a tour where both sides have dropped regulations and sitters. Additionally, Thakur also top-scored for India in the first innings as he scored 67 runs from just 115 balls to take India from 186-6 to 336 all out.  

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Meanwhile, Thakur featured in the CSK list of retained players 2021. The Mumbai-based cricketer was among 18 players that were retained for the upcoming IPL. The CSK list of retained players 2021 among others include N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar, Faf du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore.

India squad for England Tests 2021

Virat Kohli (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicket-keeper), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Hardik, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur

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SOURCE: ICC TWITTER/ CRICKET.COM.AU