'We became comfortable with each other and he played a major part in it.'
Traded to Mumbai Indians from Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) ahead of IPL 2026, Indian pacer Shardul Thakur says former captain Rohit Sharma allowed him to express himself.
The 34-year-old pacer, who featured in India's Test tour of England earlier this year, is hoping to again experience the good old days at MI.
"He made me comfortable, he allowed me to be free with him, he allowed me to express myself. We became comfortable with each other and he played a major part in it," he was quoted as saying in the MI website.
Thakur's MI journey began in 2010 as a support player, long before any thoughts of an IPL contract. He said the early exposure to the dressing room impacted his career in a positive way.
"I was lucky enough to experience the dressing room early in my days. I was already feeling comfortable in front of senior players. Somewhere down the line, whatever the way I was treated during Mumbai Indians camp also, that small gesture from the Mumbai Indians helped me a lot to grow in my career.
"I was made to play practice games. I bowled with a new ball, so that boosted my morale and confidence to another level, and I was picking wickets."
He credited Rahul Sanghvi and Paras Mhambrey for guiding him daily. The biggest moment was sharing space with legends.
"I was seeing Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Munaf Patel, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu… and I'm sharing the same dressing room with them. It was surreal," said Thakur who has played 13 Tests, 47 ODIs and 25 T20Is since making India debut in 2017.
He also recalled the days when he would peek into the Wankhede Stadium through the doors of a passing train.
"So whenever the train passed, we used to get up from our seats, come near the door, and try to sneak in and see who's practising. Even getting a glimpse of the great Sachin Tendulkar playing, we would have been happy," he said.
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