IPL 2023: Shardul Thakur turns into king of Eden Gardens with match-winning blitz
The full house at Eden Gardens, excited the presence of Shahrukh Khan, ended up celebrating jubilantly as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 81 runs in their first home game of IPL-16. Led a spectacular all-round show Shardul Thakur, who smashed a 20-ball fifty and picked up a wicket, the KKR opened their account this season in style.
However, it was not a smooth ride for KKR as the fragility of their top order was exposed before Thakur and southpaw Rinku Singh stitched a century partnership to help them post an imposing 204/7. In reply, RCB were shot out for 123 in 17.4 overs.
Counterpunching ThakurShardul Thakur arrived at the crease with KKR precariously perched at 89/5. From thereon, he led a spirited comeback, producing a whirlwind 68 off 29 balls, dotted with nine fours and three sixes. That this was the second-highest score for a number seven batter in the tournament’s hory drilled home the value of his effort. Together with Rinku Singh 46(33) he shared a 103-run partnership to take KKR to 204/7 after 20 overs.
Kolkata: KKR batter Shardul Thakur being greeted his teammate Rinu Singh after his half century during IPL 2023 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Garden in Kolkata, Thursday, April 6, 2023. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)
Shardul was ruthless, smearing the RCB bowlers to all corners of the ground. Poor Michael Bracewell bore the brunt the most, as he was thumped for successive sixes. He spared none, and a bludgeoning drive down the ground off Mohammed Siraj was arguably his finest shot of all. Despite wickets falling at the other end, Thakur was crystal-clear in his approach and never shied away from playing the big hits. A couple of his flat-batted shots, akin to a tennis smash, left the 60,000-odd spectators in awe. This season, Thakur’s 20-ball half-century was also the joint-fastest fifty (alongside Jos Buttler).
This was after England left-armer David Willey had pegged them down in the powerplay, as he returned with figures of 3-1-9-2, knocking over Venkatesh Iyer and Mandeep Singh in a rare double-wicket maiden in T20. He was not express quick, but purchased movement both ways. He used the wobble-seamer to good effect, as did he swing the ball with a conventional grip.
It was down to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the opener from Afghanan to keep the innings together, only for Karn Sharma to snared him for 57. Soon, they lost Andre Russell to an utterly irresponsible shot. He swung hard at a looping leg-break around the off and miscued to Virat Kohli at long-off.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine celebrates the dismissal of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli during the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata, India, Thursday, April 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Mystery codeVirat Kohli and Faf du Plessis got RCB off to a pulsating start, ransacking 44 runs in 4.4 overs. Hopes of a thriller abound, That’s when Sunil Narine struck, clean-bowling him through the gate, with Kohli trying to whip him through the leg-side. This was the fourth time Kohli fell prey to Narine in the IPL
Thus began a forgettable collapse for RCB. Three balls later, Varun Chakravarthy dislodged du Plessis in a near-identical manner and the Eden Gardens crowd knew the night would be theirs. RCB never really recovered from the mess—it was a vintage show of self-implosion. Chakravarthy then ejected Maxwell and Harshal Patel to pile on more agony. RCB still nursed faint hopes, as Michael Bracewell and Dinesh Karthik could be match-winners on their day. But Thakur, as often as he fishes out the big wickets, then consumed Bracewell with an innocuous short ball before the debuting leg-spinner Suyansh Sharma twed the knife with three wickets—Karthik, the IP Anuj Rawat and Karn Sharma presenting an impressive account of his wares. It was thus a night to remember for the Knights and their robust supporters.
