England vs India: Shardul Thakur shines as lower order does a crucial job with the bat, again

There’s a simple way in which Shardul Thakur starts his innings. He keeps a clear head and focusses solely on driving the ball hard along the ground. The aerial shots appear soon enough but at the start, it’s all about driving that ball with force. It helps that the ball usually isn’t new when he comes to the crease, and scoreboard pressure is a term that’s alien to him.

On day four of the fourth Test against England, Thakur used the same template and registered his second half-century of the match. His contribution with the bat, along with that of the other Indian fast bowlers, proved to be critical for the visitors.

As it happened: England vs India – day four of the fourth Test at The Oval

India were in a serious spot of bother when Thakur walked out to the middle on Sunday. Skipper Virat Kohli had just been dismissed and in conditions that were still solid for batting, the visitors had a lead of 213 runs at the time. They somehow had to stretch that close to 300 at least.

But again, Thakur seemed to be under no pressure. He got along with Rishabh Pant to add a 100-run partnership for the seventh wicket. He was the…

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