Thakur scored an unbeaten 6-ball 17 to help India win the final ODI.
India won the three-match ODI series against West Indies on Sunday. Virat Kohli and co secured the third ODI by 4 wickets in a close match. The home side was chasing 316 in 50 overs, and despite a good start, they found themselves in a tricky situation in the death overs.
Apart from openers, Rohit Sharma (63) and KL Rahul (85), Kohli scored 85 runs to stay in the game. But the cameo from Ravindra Jadeja (39*) and Shardul Thakur's 6-ball 17* can't be ignored.
Shardul took off pressure from Jadeja to score the remaining runs after Kohli got out. When the skipper departed, India needed 30 more runs in the last 23 balls.
Thakur, who has played important cameos in past, said he was sure about his batting. "If I would think about Kohli getting out, I would be under pressure. But the important thing was that there was a set batsman. The whole idea was to meet the ball. It was one of those days when I could connect well and luckily it came off," he said.
"I know I have the talent to bat. If I can contribute these 20-25 runs when the team needs me, I would be glad. Going ahead, I would want to practice more. I would be more than glad to contribute with the bat," Shardul said after the match.
Jadeja knew the pitch is suitable for batting and they can chase it down with clear thoughts.
"I was only thinking that the wicket is nice and the ball is coming to the bat. 'Just try to bat properly, don't play silly shots, look to time the ball' (Jadeja's advice to Shardul). There was a bit of pressure, I hadn't batted a lot in the series, but here I was under pressure to win a game. Virat just asked me to play my natural game. The score was reflecting on the scene, so I knew the situation well," Jadeja said.