IND vs ENG: Hand it to Shardul Thakur

Mumbai paceman Shardul slams half-century to give India’s total of 191 a whiff of respectability as England pacers frustrate visitors yet again on Day One; hosts 53-3 at stumps

Shardul Thakur hit the fastest Test fifty in England, in terms of balls faced (31), before India were dismissed for 191 at the Oval on Thursday.

The recalled all-rounder, who had not played since suffering a hamstring injury during the drawn series opener at Trent Bridge, came in with India in dire straits at 117-6 after losing the toss on the opening day of the fourth Test.

But Thakur, in just his fourth match at this level, responded with a superb display of clean hitting that saw him go to fifty in just 31 balls, including six fours and three sixes, before he was eventually lbw for 57 to opposing all-rounder Chris Woakes.

Thakur’s half century surpassed England great Ian Botham’s 32-ball fifty against New Zealand, also at the Oval, in 1986 as the quickest in a Test in England.

Chris Woakes celebrates the wicket of Rishabh Pant yesterday. Pic/AP; PTI

At stumps, England were 53-3 with Dawid Malan and Craig Overton batting on 26 and 1 respectively. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah (2-15) dismissed openers Rory Burns (5) and Haseeb Hameed (0), while Umesh Yadav (1-15) accounted for skipper Joe Root (21). 

Earlier, India captain Virat Kohli, who made exactly 50, was the only other batsman to pass 17 in the innings after England skipper Joe Root won the toss.
Woakes, playing his first Test in over a year because of injuries and COVID complications, took 4-55 in 15 overs.

But the Warwickshire paceman, who replaced left-arm swing bowler Sam Curran, would have had even better figures had not two catches been dropped off his bowling.

Kohli (50 off 96 balls), who looked a few notches above his other batting colleagues, hit some delectable cover drives but the fast-rising Ollie Robinson (16-9-24-2) got one to rear up as the Indian skipper closed his bat face to provide Jonny Bairstow a regulation catch.

This five-match series is level at 1-1 after England’s innings and 76-run victory in the third Test at Headingley last week.

490
No. of innings taken by Virat Kohli to score 23,000-plus international runs, fastest by any player

Brief scores
India 191 all out (S Thakur 57, V Kohli 50; C Woakes 4-55, O Robinson 3-38) v England 53-3 (D Malan 26*; J Bumrah 2-15, U Yadav 1-15)

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