Shardul aims to carry Test success into South Africa

Shardul Thakur has had a good initiation intShardul Thakur has 67 wickets and 366 runs in 43 internatiionals played so far o Test cricket and the India seam bowling all-rounder wants to replicate his impressive show in Australia and England in the ongoing series against South Africa.

Thakur has been preferred by the Indian team management ahead of Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav because of his superior batting skills.

"I am looking forward to it. I hope it comes off in SA too as I have been successful in England and Australia, to contribute in South African conditions, I would be more than happy," Shardul told teammate Ravichandran Ashwin during a chat on bcci.tv.

For Shardul, who has 67 wickets and 366 runs for India in 43 international games across formats, self-belief is the key.

"I do like to plan my game in terms of both bowling and batting. When I enter the ground, everything is about confidence and self-belief for me. If you are playing white-ball cricket, you think of yorker. So to bowl that yorker, I go in with full confidence which stands out for me as player," Shardul said.

For the Mumbai cricketer, the aim is to remain a player who always makes winning contribution for the team and not just merely add up numbers.