Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Shardul Thakur was pleased and also surprised with his batting performance against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), after scoring the joint-fastest 50 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 — match Jos Buttler's 20-ball 50 in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) first game of the season against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Shardul, lovingly known by the nickname 'Lord Shardul', entered the crease with KKR reeling at 89 for 5, and scored a brilliant 68 off 29 balls including nine fours and three sixes to his name. This is the second-highest score for a number 7 batter in the history of the IPL. Rinku Singh and he shared a 103-run partnership that took KKR to a formidable total of 204/7 after 20 overs.
Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Shardul was not sure where his calm persona came from. "I don't even know where it came from but looking at the scorecard at that time, everyone would have thought we are struggling. But your subconscious mind takes over. You also have to have skills to do that at a higher level, but we also work hard in the nets. There is a period where we can slog it in the nets," the India international said after the match.
"If we look at the scorecard, it might look like we were going through a pressure situation but we have practiced for situation like these. And that is why I could perform the way I did after five quick wickets had fallen early. The help we get from the team management and the practice that goes behind the scenes aids such an innings," he added.
Shardul also lavished praise on his teammates in the spin department — Suyash Sharma, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy, whose nine wickets reduced RCB to a meagre total of 123. He complimented Suyash's exceptional bowling performance, saying, "Suyash bowled exceptionally well, and we know the quality Sunil and Varun have. They have fun, take wickets. This was a perfect day"
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