'Tula Maanla Re Thakur': Virat Kohli's Tweet from 2019 Goes Viral After Shardul Smashes Maiden IPL Fifty

Shardul Thakur stormed in form with a maiden IPL fifty on Thursday night when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) locked horns with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at Eden Gardens. The ace Indian all-rounder came to bat when half of the side was back in the hut at a score of 89. The Knight Riders had lost four of their batters on single-digit scores with Mandeep Singh and Andre Russell bagging golden ducks. The RCB seemed to be in the driver’s seat but then Shardul began his show with the willow.

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The Mumbai lad teamed up with Rinku Singh and led KKR’s fightback bravely. The duo stitched a 103-run stand for the sixth wicket which helped the Knight Riders post a mammoth 204/7 in 20 overs. In due course, Shardul also notched up his first half-century in the IPL. He looked to remain unbeaten and finish the innings but Siraj took him down in the final over. Shardul ended up scoring a 29-ball 68 for which he received a standing ovation from his teammates on his way back to the dressing room.

Shardul’s whirlwind knock not only just set the Eden Gardens ablaze, but also turned the heat up on social media. KKR fans were on cloud 9 when the all-rounder was smashing RCB all around the park. Meanwhile, an old tweet of Virat Kohli praising Shardul went viral on Twitter.

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The netizens started sharing Kohli’s tweet from 2019 in which the then Indian skipper had written, “Tula maanla re Thakur."

Politician PC Mohan also took to Twitter and shared Shardul’s picture of travelling in a Mumbai local that went viral in 2018. After returning from the South Africa tour, he was snapped in the local train and the photo garnered huge attention on social media.

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“Shardul Thakur returned from South Africa with the Indian Cricket Team in 2018 on an Emirates flight. He immediately headed towards Andheri Railway Station and boarded a local train to Palghar, a routine he has followed for the majority of his life. Lord Shardul for a reason," Mohan wrote.

Shardul himself was surprised with the power he packed in his strokes, smashing nine boundaries and three sixes.

“Even I don’t know where it came from. Looking at the scorecard, everyone would have said we were struggling. But your subconscious mind takes over. You also have to have skills to do that at the higher level, but we also work hard in the nets.

“Coaching staff do the throw downs, and give us the option of range-hitting. And you know the pitches; they always suit the batsmen, don’t they? This was a perfect day," he said.

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