Despite the fever and fatigue, he faced 59 balls and hit a six and four fours. (AP/File)
Soon after the second day’s play between Mumbai and Rest of India in Irani Trophy in Lucknow, Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur was rushed to a local hospital due to high fever. The handy lower-order batsman had scored a crucial 36 in a 73-run ninth-wicket stand with double centurion Sarfaraz Khan (221 not out) with a fever of 102 at the Ekana Stadium, The Indian Express understands.
Thakur had a mild fever on the first day as well, but it aggravated after spending close to two hours in the middle. Twice he took breaks wherein the team doctor rushed to see him. The Mumbai team management later took him to a nearby hospital, where he will be kept under observation for the entire Wednesday night. The doctors will take a call whether he will be fit to play or not on Thursday.
“He was not feeling well for the entire day and was running on high fever, which was the main reason he came out to bat late. He was feeling weak and he slept in the dressing room after taking medicine. But he wanted to bat despite feeling low. We have got his blood test done for malaria and dengue. We are waiting for the results. Till then, he will spend the night in hospital,” a source told The Indian Express.
Despite the fever and fatigue, he faced 59 balls and hit a six and four fours. He primarily looked to hang around and didn’t play any rash shots. This was his first domestic game after he had recovered from a foot surgery, for which he had undergone surgery in London this June. He sustained the injury sometime during the Ranji Trophy last season, but played through the pain and played a vital role in his team’s title march. But the injury resurfaced during India’s tour of South Africa earlier this year. With the Australia series later this year, he would be keen to reinforce his value this domestic season and vie for a spot.
