Indian bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur said that he spotted a crack on the pitch and was trying to hit that region on the Day 2 of the ongoing second Test against South Africa. 

Shardul Thakur shined for India on Day 2 of the ongoing Johannesburg Test against South Africa. The medium-pacer bowled sensationally and helped visitors bowl out the hosts for 229 runs in their first innings. 

Shardul Thakur took his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests and registered the phenomenal figures of 7/61, the best bowling figures for an Indian in a Test against South Africa, to take his side into the commanding position. 

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While addressing the press conference at the end of Day 2 of the ongoing Test, Shardul Thakur revealed that he spotted the crack in the pitch and was trying to hit that spot.  

"When I started bowling, there was a length somewhere in those 22-yards from where the ball was kicking in (off) and also was staying low a bit. So all I did was to try to hit that spot and hit that crack,” Shardul Thakur said. 

Thakur admitted that there was some help in the pitch both in Centurion and Johannesburg and all he was trying to do was to bowl in the right spots. 

"See both the venues, even when we played in Centurion and here in Joburg (Johannesburg) at the Wanderers, there is and there was some help in the pitch, so all you had to do is keep coming hard at the batsman and bowl in the right spots, I was trying to do the same," he said. 

Thakur said that the match is currently in a tricky situation and his side needs to set the bigger target to give them a chance as batting last on the pitch wouldn’t be easy. 

"The current match-situation, if you see it's tricky. The lead that we take from here and the bigger the target we set that is good, because as the game progresses and we all know that last two days, it is not that easy to bat on the pitch. 

“So, from our team's point of view, the bigger target we set, and take the game long, that is good, because there is a lot of time left in the game,” he said. 

Shardul Thakur said that even though he registered his best bowling figure in Test innings but his best is yet to come. 

Read Also: From cricketers to fans, Shardul Thakur gets praised for his crucial spell on Day 2

He further credited his childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, saying that he had a lot of impact on his career and spotted him when no one else did. He called him as his second parent and said he changed his life by offering him admission to Swami Vivekanand International school. 

"It is my best figure, but the best is always yet to come, I would say. Yes, obviously he (Dinesh Lad) had a lot of impact in my cricketing career and he is a second parent to me. He spotted me when no one else did and he provided that exposure, offering me an admission in the school (Swami Vivekanand International) in Borivali and since then my life has changed," he said. 

India lost both the openers in their second innings but they were 58 runs ahead of the hosts at stumps on Day 2 with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane unbeaten at 35 and 11 respectively. 

(PTI Inputs)