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When Shardul Thakur Demolished South Africa With A Seven Wicket Haul In Johannesburg

image-lqqkq3jyIndian all-rounder Shardul Thakur (X.com)

India toured South Africa in December 2021 to feature in an extensive bilateral series of three test matches and as many one-day internationals. 

After demolishing the hosts in the inaugural test game in Centurion, the high-spirited men in blue arrived at Johannesburg to stake a claim on the red-ball series.

Virat Kohli's back spasm led to a promotion for KL Rahul, who was asked to lead the Indian side for the second test. Rahul's choice to bat first didn't really work, as India was bundled for 202 runs in the first inning.

While Proteas came out with an aggressive intent, a rookie, Shardul Thakur, had plans of being an absolute spoilsport. In a six-Test match, old Thakur toyed around the South African batters to script a new record for himself.


Thakur Shattered Record Books With Exceptional 7-Wicket Haul Vs SA

He toppled set batters Dean Elgar and Keegan Petersen to lift India back into the contest. After Keegan's wicket, Shardul was unstoppable. He quickly dismissed the rest of the middle-order pack to bundle the Proteas at a total of 229 runs. 

With that, Shardul Thakur earned his career-maiden seven-wicket haul and scripted history for Indian cricket. Thakur dethroned Harbhajan Singh to become the bowler with the best figures (7/61) against South Africa.

Not only that, Thakur also became the only bowler to pick a seven-wicket haul in an inning on South African soil. Moreover, since Thakur achieved the feat just five games after his debut in the red-ball format, he also became the fastest one to earn that record. 

Interestingly, Shardul Thakur had never recorded a seven-wicket haul in his first-class career. The Mumbai boy's best figures were restricted to six wickets, which he picked against Bengal in a Ranji Trophy game back in the 2016-17 first-class season.

While India lost the Johannesburg test match, Thakur had the most memorable event of his cricketing journey. His seven-wicket haul record is still unbeaten, and the all-rounder will forever be remembered as the one who forced the Proteas to dance on his tunes.