We have an amazing opportunity to restrict England to a low total: Shardul Thakur
Indian pace bowler Shardul Thakur's breezy knock of 57 on return kept his side alive after Day 1 of the fourth Test against England. Shardul Thakur top-scored for India, lifting the tourists at the Oval to 191 from 127-7.
Shardul Thakur came to bat when India stared at another underwhelming first-innings total. But the right-arm seamer counterattacked from the word go. Thakur smashed a fifty off 31 balls, thrashing seven fours and three sixes.
Speaking at a virtual press conference, Shardul Thakur highlighted that India needs to keep England's total to the very minimum. The Palghar-born cricketer feels they have more than an even chance, mainly after dismissing Joe Root.
"See, if you see our total, it's not very high, just around the 200-run mark. So, keeping England's first-innings total under control is the key. And if you see they have already lost three wickets. Their in-form batsman Joe Root is out. So, we have an amazing opportunity to restrict them to a low total so that we keep ourselves in the game and it goes on neck to neck,"
It swung a little less than what it was swinging in the morning: Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur, who has so far bowled three overs, admitted it swung less than what it did earlier in the morning. He predicted the overcast conditions for being so.
"I think the bounce was the same, but it swung a little less than what it was swinging in the morning. I believe there's something to do with the clouds, whenever it's cloudy, it swings or it appears as such,"
England still trail by 138 in the first innings as Jasprit Bumrah removed openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed. Umesh Yadav provided the massive breakthrough of Root late in the day.