"Was personally feeling let down by the way Shardul bowled" - Aakash Chopra on India's bowling on Day 4 of 5th IND vs ENG Test
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra felt a little "let down" by the way Shardul Thakur bowled on Day 4 of India's ongoing one-off Test at Edgbaston.
After England began the fourth innings with a 107-run opening stand, Jasprit Bumrah brought the visitors back into the game by picking up two quick wickets. The reversing ball aided the Indian skipper, with the hosts suddenly reduced to 109/3 after Alex Lees' run-out.
However, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow added an unbeaten 150 runs for the fourth wicket to give England the upper hand by the end of Day 4. The likes of Thakur and Mohammed Siraj were inconsistent and expensive. The former in particular couldn't make the most of the reverse swing on offer, according to Chopra.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra explained why Thakur was ineffective on Day 4. He said:
"It's 55-45 in favour of England at the moment. But with the way the ball was reversing and the quality of our bowling attack, I was personally feeling let down by the way Shardul bowled."
Chopra added:
"He used to bowl around 140 kmph mark, which has gone down to around 130 kmph. That tenacity and effectiveness goes away when your speed reduces by 10 kmph."
Boundary rope to ball in Shardul Thakur's over: https://t.co/ahfqUWK7vB
Aakash Chopra on England's opening partnership
Aakash Chopra was surprised to see England's openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley dominate the Indian bowlers.
The duo have been under the scanner for their inconsistent form but on Day 4 at Edgbaston, they added 107 runs for the first wicket in quick time. Lees scored 56 off 67 balls while Crawley added 46 of 76 balls.
On this, Chopra stated:
"Alex Lees used to bat slower than or as slow as I used to. But he was hitting boundaries and stepping out to score runs. Crawley has had question marks on his position in the team. But both gave England a 100-run opening stand which is crucial when you chase big targets."
The match seems to have tilted in favor of the hosts at the moment as they need just 119 more runs to claim a series-leveling win with seven wickets in hand. However, India will hope to pick up a few quick wickets on the final day and trigger a batting collapse.