The India-England 5-match test series ended without the fifth test match being played due to the COVID-19 scare and it certainly disappointed cricket lovers to a great extent. However, it won’t be wrong to say that both the teams have played some great cricket yet the Indian squad has showed that it is better than the hosts as it stands as the winner by 2-1.
The fourth test match which was played at Oval can easily be termed as one of the best examples to show how a team makes a comeback in the match after failing in the first innings. England won the toss and made the visitors bat first, the English bowlers troubled the Indian batters a lot and wrapped up the whole Indian team for just 191 runs in the first innings. The Indian bowlers also managed to restrict the English side at the score of 290 and then team India showed exemplary determination as it made a huge score of 466 runs in its second innings. Though the English openers gave a good start to their team by producing a 100 run partnership, the other batsmen of England played in a disappointing manner and the whole team was back in pavilion at the score of 210 as a result of which India won the match by 157 runs.
Shardul Thakur played an important role in India’s win at Oval as he scored half-centuries in both the innings and also took 3 wickets in the match. During an interview to a leading daily, he talked about the approach of the team on the day 5 of the Oval test. He stated that everyone in the Indian team believed that they would win the match and there was no one who even thought of draw. As per him, the team members were pretty confident that either Jadeja or Bumrah would get wickets as it was never easy to bat on the last day pitch. Shardul Thakur said that it was a collective effort and the Indian team had been working hard to get this type of result. He is of the opinion that the players need to have a positive attitude all the time as there is no scope for negativity in the current team’s dressing room.
He also talked about the conversation that he had with Sam Curran with whom he shares dressing room in the IPL as they both play for Chennai Super Kings. Shardul Thakur revealed that Sam Curran told him that the English team would score 100 runs easily without losing any wicket as the pitch was flat. In reply, the Indian cricketer told him that he would get the breakthrough, England would lose five wickets in a quick manner and India would win the match. Shardul Thakur further said that whatever he told Sam Curran came true.
Now Shardul Thakur will be seen in the second leg of the IPL 2021 which is going to start from September 19 in UAE.