Shardul Thakur reveals Aussies tried to have a 'conversation' as he led India's fightback

As he led India's fightback in the final Test at the Gabba, Shardul Thakur has revealed that the Australians tried to get under his skin with some chatter while he was batting. Playing just his second Test, Thakur shone with the bat as he held one end strong after the top order collapsed to Hazlewood's lethal attack. The right-arm speedster displayed grit and intent as he teamed up with debutant Washington Sundar to stitch a century-long stand.

In a virtual press conference after the end of play of Day 3, Thakur said that the Australians tried to have a 'conversation' with him but he did not reply much. "Australian players were trying to have a conversation with me, but I was not replying. I just replied once or twice, there were a lot of normal questions, even if they were trying to sledge me, I did not hear it, I just played on," Thakur said. 

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'I have the talent'

The speedster, who notched up his maiden half-century today, also revealed that he has been practising his batting in the nets. "I have the talent for batting, whenever there are throwdowns taking place in nets, I practice my batting, these are the type of moments for which we practice our batting. An opportunity presented itself in this match, I knew that the team would benefit if I stay at the crease for a long haul. I haven't batted with Sundar much, I have just batted with him once or twice, once it was in a T20 match and once it was a practice game," Thakur added.

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Moreover, he expressed that he and Sundar were trying to defend a lot in an attempt to keep the partnership going. "It is a long tour, as a player, it is challenging to stay motivated and do well in the last game, the series is tied at 1-1, this game turns out to be the series decider so you do not need extra motivation, it is about giving 100 per cent for the team," he concluded. 

Kohli hails Sundar-Thakur

Team India's limited-overs skipper Virat Kohli was all praise for the resilient duo of Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur after their fireworks on Day three at the Gabba on Sunday. Test debutant Sundar and Thakur stitched an inning-reviving partnership of 123 runs, helping India fall just 33 runs short of taking the lead in the first innings. Virat Kohli hailed Washington Sundar's 'top' composure shown during his 62-run knock off 144 deliveries, scoring seven fours and one six. The Indian skipper also heaped praise in Marathi on Shardul Thakur after the pacer scored 67 runs off 119 deliveries, smashing nine fours and one maximum. 

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