Shardul Thakur made an instant impact with the ball in LSG’s match against SRH, picking two successive wickets in his second over.
Lucknow Super Giants’ Shardul Thakur inflicted early damage on Sunrisers Hyderabad during the clash in Hyderabad on Thursday, picking two successive wickets in only the third over. The Sunrisers, known for their explosive batting unit and consistent 200+ scores since last year, were asked to bat by Rishabh Pant, and Shardul made an instant impact with the ball.
Lucknow Super Giants’ Shardul Thakur gestures during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Sunrisers Hyderabad -(AFP)
After conceding just five runs off his first over where he restricted Australian southpaw Travis Head, Shardul dismissed Abhishek Sharma off the very first ball of his second over. He then removed the dangerous Ishan Kishan, who had smashed a century in SRH’s opening match of the season against Rajasthan Royals.
Abhishek fell victim to Thakur’s well-directed short delivery. The left-hander attempted a pull shot but couldn’t generate enough control on the occasion; the ball flew towards deep square leg, where Nicholas Pooran judged it perfectly, moving to his right to complete a safe catch.
It was a familiar struggle for Abhishek against Thakur, who had troubled him in the past.
Thakur struck the very next ball, this time removing Ishan Kishan for a golden duck. The left-hander, fresh off a century in his previous outing, looked to flick a wayward delivery down the leg-side but only managed a faint edge. Rishabh Pant, sharp behind the stumps, made no mistake in completing a straightforward catch. It was an unfortunate dismissal for Ishan, who would have been disappointed to fall to an ordinary delivery.
The fans raved about Shardul, who was a last-minute entry to LSG squad owing to injuries in their pace attack. The Indian fast bowler went unsold in the auction last year.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Shardul bowled only two overs in the side’s opening match against Delhi Capitals, but picked two wickets, conceding 19 runs. LSG eventually faced a narrow one-wicket defeat in the opener.
Sunrisers, meanwhile, came close to breaking their own record for the highest total in an IPL innings, ending at 286/6 in 20 overs against the Royals. The side is widely touted to break the 300-run barrier in an innings this season; however, with two early wickets in the powerplay, the coveted figure looks unlikely on Thursday.
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