"Shardul Thakur is not an attractive player, but he is an effective player" - Inzamam-ul-Haq
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq noted the pivotal role Shardul Thakur played in India's fourth Test against England at the Oval. He termed the all-rounder an effective player after he played a substantial role with both bat and ball.
Inzamam pointed out that all the crucial moments of the game had Thakur's hand in them, whether it be the fifties across both innings down the order or the crucial wickets he picked up on Day 5.
The all-rounder was in contention for the Man of the Match award but lost out to Rohit Sharma, who scored a splendid century in the second innings. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam said:
"Thakur is not an attractive player, but I felt that he is an effective player. He can provide the teams with wickets and runs whenever required. His first innings fifty was crucial, without that India would have only scored 130 and making a comeback from that would have been very difficult. Even the fifty in the second innings was crucial and ge also took Root's wicket on the final day as well. Whenever the game changed, Thakur had something to with it."
Thakur has been highly proficient in the fixtures he has played in the tour so far. He missed out on the Lord's Test due to an injury and could not find a place ahead of Ishant Sharma in the third Test at Leeds.
Indian bowlers kept energy levels high: Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq praised the fitness levels of the bowlers that enabled them to bowl consistently with the same intensity. He noted that even near the end of the day's play, the energy levels of the Indian bowlers were very high. Inzamam added:
"The biggest quality that I felt was that even when they were bowling at the end of the day, the energy level was very high. Siraj did not take many wickets in this Test but whenever he was called by Virat Kohli to bowl, the energy was there. Bumrah was tremendous. Winning and losing is part of the game but when you play cricket like this, wins automatically start coming to you."
Optimum fitness and energy levels have become the norm during Kohli's reign as captain. Improved and specific diets, regimes in gyms and stringent fitness tests have all led to a sharper Indian outfit on the field.
India recorded a memorable 157-run win at The Oval and will head into Manchester for the final Test of the tour on September 10 with a 2-1 lead in their favor.