'Easy to comment': LSG's Shardul Thakur defends bowlers amid criticism
What's the story
Shardul Thakur, the Lucknow Super Giants seamer, has defended his team's bowling unit from recent criticisms.
Following LSG's victory over the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025, Thakur voiced his dissatisfaction with former cricketers who have been overly critical of players during commentary.
He urged these commentators to reflect on their statistics before passing judgment on others.
"I'm sure they should look at their own stats," Shardul said as per NDTV Sports.
Comments
'Criticism will always be there, especially from commentators'
As mentioned, talking to NDTV Sports, Thakur said, "I've always believed that, as a bowling unit, we've bowled well throughout the season."
He admitted that criticism is a part of commentary but stressed that cricket is evolving and high scores are now more common.
He said, "It's easy to sit in a studio and comment on someone's bowling, but they don't see the real picture out there on the ground."
Performance
Second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025
Thakur is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, with 11 wickets from six innings.
After going unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, he has become a crucial part of LSG's bowling attack. He had stepped in as a replacement for pacer Mohsin Khan.
In their recent win against GT, Thakur returned with figures of 2/34, while Ravi Bishnoi also took two wickets at the expense of 36 runs.
Standings
LSG third in the points table
Despite facing some criticism, LSG currently hold the third place in the standings with four wins and two losses.
GT share the same win-loss record but stand second thanks to a better Net Run rate.
Thakur praised his team's ability to defend scores under pressure, saying they managed to do so twice this season when batting first.
"It was about holding our nerve till the end and believing in ourselves that we could win the game," he stated.
Bowlers
How LSG bowlers have fared so far
As mentioned, Thakur has taken 11 wickets across six innings at 19.81 (ER: 10.38) in IPL 2025. His best bowling innings are worth 4/34.
Spinner Digvesh Rathi follows Thakur with eight scalps in six innings at 23.12 and an economy of 7.70.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Bishnoi has bagged six wickets in as many innings with an economy of 11.34.
Meanwhile, Avesh Khan owns four wickets from five innings with an ER of 10.10.