The heroes of the last two matches- Mohammed Shami and Thakur have now finally revealed what exactly they were thinking as they prepared to bow the last overs.
Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur reveal last-over plans which helped India stage improbable comebacks. (Photos: AFP)
The Indian cricket team has been in phenomenal form in New Zealand as they have already taken a 4-0 lead in the 5 matches T20I series. Their last two wins came in Super Overs which goes on to say a lot about the character of the team. In the fourth match of the series it was Shardul Thakur who held his nerves and managed to tie the match.
With just 7 runs needed off the last over, Shardul picked two wickets. Moreover, the Kiwis panicked and India produced two-run outs in the last over to force the match into yet another Super Over.
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The heroes of the last two matches- Mohammed Shami and Thakur have now finally revealed what exactly they were thinking as they prepared to defend nine runs (in the 3rd T20I) and seven runs on Friday respectively.
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“I was planning to bowl good yorkers. I tried on the first ball, it slipped out of my hand, and it went for a six. I had nothing to lose afterwards. I was thinking how to get dot balls.
I thought we have already lost, let’s try to bowl some bouncers. After Williamson got out, I thought that short ball will do the trick. With the scores tied, I had just one option on the last ball, to get a dot ball. So, I went with a yorker delivery and it paid off,” Shami said on Chahal TV as quoted by news agency IANS.
Meanwhile, Shardul, who was adjudged the Player of the match for his final over on Friday, also revealed what enabled him to be successful.
“There was a lot of pressure. I was trying to get a wicket on the first ball. Mostly, a batsman tries to go for four or six on the first ball to try and finish the match as early as possible,” Shardul stated.
“My idea was that I will give a slow ball to make them go for a big hit. The plan worked. When I was hit for a four on the second ball, then the pressure increased,” he added.
“But in crunch situations, you can get hit for a six or a four, so I did not lose hope. We saw how Shami Bhai was hit for a six on the first ball, but then he defended 3 runs in 5 balls. So why can’t the same happen here. It can happen again,” he concluded.
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