Shardul Thakur returned wicketless as India bundled out Pakistan for 191 in 42.5 overs during the 2023 World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14.
The 31-year-old was the only bowler without a wicket, as all five remaining bowlers—Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja—took two wickets each. He returned with a spell of 0/12 in his two overs.
Thakur has failed to deliver with the ball in his recent outings. The medium pacer took just one wicket against Afghanistan in Delhi, where India won by eight wickets.
He had previously returned wicketless in two outings against Australia in the recently concluded ODI series. Thakur, however, has a knack of breaking crucial partnerships and has scalped 20 wickets in 15 ODIs this year so far.
Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) roasted Shardul Thakur for ending wicketless and playing ahead of Mohammad Shami in the match.
One user wrote:
“Bhai Shardul Thakur match khel raha tha na match dekh raha tha ?? Kash Axar Patel hota.”
Here are some more reactions:
Pakistan set 192-run target against India before middle order collapse in World Cup match
Fighting knocks from captain Babar Azam and vice captain Mohammad Rizwan helped Pakistan post a respectable total against India in the World Cup match on Saturday.
Azam top-scored with 50 runs off 58 balls, including seven boundaries, while Rizwan also chipped in with 49 off 69, comprising seven fours. The duo shared an 82-run partnership for the third wicket to recover Pakistan from 73/2.
Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique also contributed 36 (38) and 20 (24), respectively, before the collapse. The Men in Green lost their last eight wickets for just 36 runs.
In response, India were 33/4 after 4.4 overs, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the crease. Shaheen Afridi provided the first breakthrough for Pakistan by dismissing Shubman Gill for 15 (16), caught by Shadab Khan at backward point.
For the uninitiated, the Men in Green are yet to beat India in the ODI World Cups, having lost in the marquee ICC tournament seven times.
Follow IND vs PAK live coverage here.
