Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami discuss final over heroics on ‘Chahal Super Over TV’

India seamers Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Shami, who were tasked with bowling the final overs in the last T20Is against New Zealand opened up on what was going on in their minds before bowling the crucial over. In the 3rd T20I against the Kiwis on Wednesday, Shami had to defend 9 runs in the final over, and he gave away 8 runs to push the match to a Super Over, where the visitors picked up the winning flag. On Friday, a similar turn of events took place as Shardul Thakur defended 7 runs to push the match to another Super Over, where Kohli’s side achieved the same result. 

On the latest episode of ‘Chahal TV’, or rather, ‘Chahal Super Over TV’, as it was dubbed by the host of the chat show Yuzvendra Chahal, Thakur and Shami gave an insight into their final over heroics.

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Speaking to the Indian leg spinner, Shami said: “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.”

Shardul, who was name the man-of-the-match for his final-over on Friday, opened up on the pressures of bowling the final over, and his knuckle-ball which got him a wicket in the over.

Also read: 2 wickets, 2 run outs, 6 runs - Shardul Thakur’s final over that saved match for India

“There was a lot of pressure. I was trying to get a wicket on the first ball. Mostly, a batsmen tries to go for a four or six on the first ball to try and finish the match as early as possible. 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. 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 said.

“Speaking about knuckle balls, bachpan me hum ungli teda kar ke ghee nikalte the (we twisted our fingers to take out ghee as a kid), so that’s what I just did,” he added.

India and New Zealand will play the 5th T20I on Sunday.