"They were saying 'Ek tha Thakur', now they are saying 'Thakur Zinda hai'" - Aakash Chopra lauds LSG all-rounder's spell in IPL 2025 win vs SRH

Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Shardul Thakur for bowling a potent spell in the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) IPL 2025 win against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). He pointed out that the seam-bowling all-rounder proved his worth after going unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.

Thakur registered figures of 4/34 in four overs as LSG restricted SRH to 190 for nine after asking them to bat first in Hyderabad on Thursday, March 27. Rishabh Pant and company then achieved the target with five wickets and 23 deliveries to spare to register their first win of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener praised Thakur for striking early blows during SRH's innings.

"Shardul Thakur - They were saying 'Ek tha Thakur', now they are saying 'Thakur Zinda hai.' Thakur sahab's performance was incredible. He picked up two wickets in two overs in the first match, and here also, he first got Abhishek Sharma out and then Ishan Kishan for zero," he said (12:10).

While acknowledging that Thakur was lucky to get Ishan Kishan's wicket before eventually picking up a four-wicket haul, Chopra recalled being surprised when the Mumbai all-rounder didn't find any takers at the IPL 2025 auction.

"Of course, Ishan Kishan was unfortunate. You generally don't get out down the leg side like that, but he dismissed Abhishek Sharma with a bouncer. He didn't end there. Thakur picked up four wickets. I was slightly surprised when he wasn't picked in the auction," he observed.

The cricketer-turned-commentator appreciated the 33-year-old for performing well in domestic cricket and bowling a terrific spell after LSG picked him as a replacement for the injured Mohsin Khan.

"We had discussed that he was worth ₹2 crore for sure. In fact, he should have got more money. He has got that thing. Then he played well in SMAT (Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) and took the team ahead in the Ranji Trophy, and got an opportunity to play because Mohsin got injured. Bowled four over, took four wickets - I thought he was absolutely gold dust," Chopra elaborated.

Shardul Thakur dismissed Abhishek Sharma for six and Ishan Kishan for a golden duck in his second over. He later accounted for Abhinav Manohar and Mohammad Shami's dismissals to complete his four-wicket haul.

---

"Travis Head played well until he was there" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's batting in IPL 2025 loss to LSG

Travis Head scored 47 runs off 28 deliveries in SRH's IPL 2025 clash against LSG. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on SRH's batting in their IPL 2025 clash against LSG, Aakash Chopra noted that they continued playing aggressively despite losing wickets regularly.

"Travis Head played well until he was there. He got a life. Nicholas Pooran dropped a catch. However, he didn't stop and kept hitting. There is another special thing about this team. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen and Aniket Verma came, and they kept hitting," he said (13:25) in the same video.

While praising Aniket Verma for playing a blazing knock (36 off 13), the analyst opined that the SRH batting didn't live up to their potential.

"Aniket Verma is batting really well. He batted very well in the few balls he faced in the first match, and here he scored 36 runs off 13 balls, which included five sixes. This team's philosophy is very different. They have underachieved based on their potential," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra praised Prince Yadav for bowling an 'exceptional' spell (1/29 in four overs). He noted that the LSG seamer was also responsible for Heinrich Klassen's 'bizarre' run-out.