Shardul Thakur on his nickname 'Lord': Shows how much my teammates love me
Shardul Thakur played 2 Tests in England last year
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has said his nickname 'Lord' shows how much his teammates love him.
Speaking in a video posted on BCCI TV on Thursday, Thakur said that he received the nicknames 'Lord' and 'Beefy' (referring to Sir Ian Botham) after his performances in England last summer.
Thakur played the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, where he picked up four wickets before being ruled out of the next two games due to a hamstring injury.
The all-rounder returned for the fourth game at Kennington Oval, London, where he contributed with a half-century in each of India's innings, while he bagged three wickets too and played a key role in India's 157-run victory. With that, Team India went 2-1 up before the fifth Test was postponed due to covid outbreak in the Indian camp.
Thakur's all-round show in England last year showed what he is capable of doing in the English conditions with both bat and ball. He will certainly be crucial for India during the upcoming rescheduled fifth Test at Edgbaston, which will begin on Friday (July 1).
"England is a bowler's paradise. The ball swings here and at a time you can get a lot of wickets in one spell. So yeah, England is one of my favorite places to play cricket. I am fine with any name (laughs). The name Bull is what they have been calling me since my Ranji Trophy days.
I am fine with any nickname that my teammates give me. Lord and Beefy just got famous after my performances against England. It shows how much my teammates love me. It's good to hear, sounds good when it falls on my ears," Shardul said further in the same video.
Thakur, who bagged seven wickets and scored 117 runs across two Tests in England in 2021, heaped praise on India's pace attack comprising the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
"The pace attack that we have, everyone is doing well, including Shami, Bumrah, and Umesh whenever he gets a game. Sometimes these bowlers get 2-3 wickets in their first spell and then I come a bit later in the game when they need rest. But I have started to like that role and it's my duty, as I know if I deliver a performance at that stage then it creates an impact in the match," Shardul added.
Thakur, who made his Test debut in 2018, has played seven Tests so far, picking up 26 wickets and scoring 246 runs. He has a five-wicket haul to his name, while with the bat, the all-rounder has scored three fifties.