Image courtesy: Indian Express

“Keep your feet in the ground when your head’s in the clouds,” goes the saying. Shardul Thakur seems to be a firm believer of it.

Upon his arrival in Mumbai from the just-concluded bilateral series against South Africa, the Indian cricketer exemplified humility by buying himself a ticket counter for a local train to get back home.

In an interview with Indian Express, the 26-year-old said that some people including ‘college students’ and ‘old-timers’ recognized him during the journey.

“I boarded the train in Andheri after getting off the flight from South Africa. Straight from business class to first-class,” Thakur was quoted as saying.

“I had my headphones on and just wanted to get home soon. But I could sense people in the compartment looking at me and wondering whether I really was “Shardul Thakur”.

“A few college kids then Googled my picture just to be sure and then asked for a selfie. I told all of them to wait till I got off at Palghar. Many were amazed that an India cricketer was traveling with them.

“Some old-timers were recalling how they’ve been seeing me in the train for years. But my feet remain very grounded. I have not received anything on a platter and worked hard for it.”

Meanwhile, Thakur is expected to resume training soon as he has been selected to participate in the Nidhahas Trophy – a triangular series in Sri Lanka also involving Bangladesh – that is scheduled to be held from March 6-18.