Former Indian cricket team fielding coach, R Sridhar, recalls a heated moment from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, when Shardul Thakur made a daring move and misled Head Coach, Ravi Shastri.
With Hanuma Vihari battling a pulled hamstring and unable to play against the formidable spinner, Nathan Lyon, and R Ashwin facing some deadly bouncers from the Australian fast bowlers, the decision was made for Vihari to face the pacers and for Ashwin to handle Lyon.
But when the batters took a single during play, the plan was thrown into disarray, with Vihari facing Lyon and Ashwin the fast bowlers. Ravi Shastri tasked Shardul Thakur with conveying the message to switch positions, but when Thakur returned, it was discovered he had not passed along the message.
Thakur later explained that he believed that any additional communication could potentially disturb the concentration of the players. Despite Shastri’s frustration, the match ultimately ended in a draw.
This thrilling tale highlights the tension between following orders and doing what one believes is best for the team, as told by Sridhar in his book.