New Delhi: Well the entire country has been on a roll since Rishabh Pant hit the four Tuesday to help India win the fourth cricket Test at the Brisbane. India thus won the series 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, one must not forget the contributions made by Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar in India’s victory. Shardul Thakur got a fifty-plus score and seven wickets in the match. It was indeed a remarkable feat for the man in only his second Test after his debut had lasted just 10 balls.
Behind the rise of Thakur is an unknown hero that has perhaps never been given due credit. It is the wife of his childhood coach Dinesh Lad. How? It was she who gave permission to her husband to let Thakur stay at their two BHK flat in Borivali, Mumbai. She did so despite having a daughter of almost the same age as Thakur.
It was a tough decision for the Lad family. However, Dinesh spotted the talent that Thakur possessed. At the time, Thakur lived in Palghar – over 86 from Borivali – and Dinesh did not want the precious talent to go astray.
“I saw him playing in 2006 in Mumbai against our school team, Swami Vivekanand International School. Playing for Tarapur Vidya Mandir, Shardul scored 78 runs and also picked five wickets. Impressed by his performance, I asked him to join my school. I asked him to tell his parents to contact him. I told his father that Shardul had a lot of talent and could play top level cricket,” Dinesh said Tuesday.
“However, his father declined, saying Shardul had [class X] board exams. Also the journey from Palghar to Mumbai was more than two-and-a-half hours, which was very difficult. Then I talked to my wife. I asked her if we could keep a boy at our home so that he can play here in Mumbai. My wife agreed and we bought him home,” Dinesh disclosed.
Dinesh admitted said that initially he and his wife were a little bit hesitant. They had a daughter of almost the age of Shardul and there was a ‘risk factor’ bringing an unknown person to stay at home
“Ours was a two BHK flat. Initially, we were reluctant as we too had a daughter who was Shardul’s age, or maybe a year older. There was a risk factor. But we made him stay at our home and it paid dividends. We didn’t take any money from him. I got him admitted in my school, and Shardul stayed with us for a year,” Dinesh who also coached Rohit Sharma, informed.
Till then, Thakur used to travel by train from Palghar to Swami Vivekanand International School, and that was taking a lot of time. “During school cricket, Shardul smashed six consecutive sixes and made a name for himself. He then got selected for the under-15 Mumbai team and there was no looking back,” Dinesh stated.
Indeed, there was no looking back.
From travelling in crowded Mumbai local trains to playing on one of the fastest pitches with guts, Thakur has traversed a journey that many cricketers just dream about.
As of now, Thakur’s international cricketing journey comprises two Tests, 12 ODIs, and 17 T20Is. It is a one that is a remarkable story of perseverance, grit, relentless efforts, particularly about grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
Before the fourth and final Test at the Gabba, Thakur had played just a solitary Test against the West Indies in 2018. In that game, he could bowl only 10 deliveries before he got injured. This time however, he certainly has become a part of India’s cricketing folklore.