Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Shardul Thakur's four-wicket haul in SRH vs LSG IPL 2025 clash ft. Cheteshwar Pujara

India all-rounder Shardul Thakur played a leading role in Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) five-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the seventh match of the Indian Premier League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, March 27. His returns of 4-34 also won him the Player of the Match award.

Thakur, who went unsold at the mega auction ahead of the 2025 IPL, was signed by LSG as a replacement for the injured Mohsin Khan. The Mumbai cricketer has been his class in the two opportunities he has got so far, following up the 2-19 he got against Delhi Capitals with this four-wicket haul. This has also seen him get the Purple Cap for now.

In this listicle, we take a look at the top four reactions from experts to Thakur's match-winning performance against SRH:

#5 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra, on his YouTube channel, heaped a lot of praise on Thakur. He mentioned that the way the all-rounder came back from going unsold in the mega auction is a lesson for all.

Chopra was particularly impressed by Thakur's early strikes - Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma - that virtually derailed the SRH 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 got Abhishek Sharma out and Ishan Kishan out for zero," said Chopra.

#4 Harbhajan Singh

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, while speaking on Star Sports, referred to the fact that Thakur was left unsold at the end of the mega auction in November 2024, but returned with vengeance against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

At the end of the game, Thakur was the leading wicket-taker of this season of the IPL, allowing Harbhajan to thank his former India teammate Zaheer Khan, who, as LSG's mentor, reportedly had a big say in bringing Thakur into the fold.

"See, he went unsold in the auction at first, and I would say thank you to Zaheer Khan for backing him and giving him the opportunity. I had met Shardul at a wedding where I told him to keep working hard because he may get an opportunity, and see how wonderfully he took this opportunity with both hands. He is a bowler who showed that whenever he gets the chance, he will pick wickets and repay the trust shown in him by the LSG management. I want to send my best wishes to him," said Harbhajan.

#3 Nick Knight

Former England opener Nick Knight, who played 17 Tests and 100 ODIs, referred to a concept of 'bowling craft' that Thakur had plenty of. The medium-pacer, Knight said on ESPN Cricinfo, knew just what to bowl to the batters at the right time.

Referring to Abhishek Sharma's dismissal, Knight said that Thakur's ability to mix things up allowed him to surprise the former, which, in turn, resulted in him hitting his pull stroke straight to the fielder in the deep.

"I call it 'bowling craft'. We are batters, so we face a lot of bowlers and we think highly of those who have the 'bowling craft'. Bowling craft refers to bowling in areas that the batter does not expect at that moment. If you look at Abhishek Sharma's dismissal, he was not quite sure whether it would swing, whether it would come back in and so forth. And then you are a bit late on it, and that is the difference between getting out and hitting it out of the park. So, Thakur's bowling craft was spot on," said Knight.

#2 Michael Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan, the leader of the pack that won the 2005 Ashes by surprising Australia, commented on Thakur's wicket-taking abilities on Cricbuzz.

When asked to speak about the X-factor that Thakur brings to the table, Vaughan mentioned that he is an all-round cricketer who will seldom let his captain down. Thakur, Vaughan felt, was always in the game and ready to contribute to the team's cause.

"Thakur has always been a wicket-taker. He has a good slower ball, sometimes he erred in his line and got hit, but otherwise, he did well. Overall, what's needed is what he brings to the dressing room, what he does for his teammates and how he encourages the others to go along with him. I saw him on India's last tour of England, and he did very well in those conditions. I think he is one of those cricketers who will never let you down, who will always offer you something, whether it is with the ball, with the bat or on the field," said Vaughan.

#1 Cheteshwar Pujara

India batter Cheteshwar Pujara, known for his technical brilliance, spoke about the shape that Thakur gets to both right-handers and left-handers on ESPN Cricinfo. This, Pujara felt, allowed Thakur to hit the right areas and force batters into making poor decisions.

The Saurashtra star also spoke about Abhishek Sharma's dismissal and how Thakur had set it up in the mind by bowling a wide array of deliveries and several different lengths. Thakur's ability to mix things up also works well, felt Pujara.

"One of the things that works well for Thakur is the shape he gets from the ball, whether he is bowling to left-handers or right-handers. He can also mix it up with yorkers and slower deliveries. If you look at how he bowled to Abhishek Sharma, you can see he was going for yorkers, but they ended up being low full tosses. And then suddenly he can bowl a bumper while also trying for a back of a length delivery," said Pujara.