It was the only option for the ‘Player of the Match’ award to be debated after India’s impressive final day win at the Oval against England in the fourth Test. It was certainly decided by some of the eminent and former great commentators from host broadcaster Sky Sports, whose panel includes Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Shane Warne among others. It was during this series that Sunil Gavaskar told (though in a lighter vein) on Sony Sports Network, which is currently airing the series that since that panel is dominated by former batsmen, it is no surprise that they end up choose a batsman (in this case Rohit Sharma) for the award; Might even suggest that bias against batting performance is in the blood of cricket, even though it is a universally accepted truth that bowlers win Test matches by taking 20 wickets.
Thakur was equal to Rohit at the Oval
At the Oval, Thakur didn’t take a truckload of wickets, but what he did was worth its weight in gold – he took the wickets of first-innings top scorer Ollie Pope and second-innings opener Rory Burns, who gave India . First breakthrough after a 100-run partnership. The possibility of a draw was not completely ruled out until England captain Joe Root was batting in the fourth innings of the match, England could have thought of a win, but then Thakur took the wicket of a big fish. . And, we all know how important his twin fifties were in the match which definitely changed the course of the game from the Indian point of view.
Not Man Of The Match, But Shardul Thakur At Lord’s Over England The Ovala
Two trips from the Oval in Mumbai to the Oval in London are unlikely to come together!
It is unlikely to come together as two visits that have their origins in local grounds, most notably the Oval in Mumbai, which has received a grand halt at the Oval in London. If Rohit Sharma scored an invaluable 127 in the third innings of the Oval Test, Thakur’s 117 in two innings was an equally important contribution. In many ways, both the Mumbaikars proved in this test that they are indeed into Test cricket. In Rohit’s case, it may be tantamount to blasphemy to suggest that he could not cut his teeth at Test level! However, despite his vastly superior technique as an opener in these conditions, without an overseas Test century, there would always be whispers about his class. Rohit had scored seven Test tons before this match (all were made in India) and his home Test average is almost as good as Don Bradman’s, but his distant record always took away the shine of his Test record. However, with an oval century – his first in overseas conditions – when India desperately needed a big score, the 34-year-old stunned everyone with his scintillating century. Hopefully, once and for all. Similarly, despite his valor from the Gabba (a breathtaking 67 runs and 7 wickets in the match), Thakur was not a first-choice name in the team-sheet, even though Hardik Pandya’s Test career as an all-rounder was almost over. When Thakur made it to the playing XI at Nottingham and The Oval, so did many that R Ashwin – a superior all-rounder with a proven track record over a decade – is warming the benches.
Rohit’s right is wrong, Shardul’s return in style and Anderson’s burden
Rohit and Thakur – epitome of extreme self-confidence
However, like Rohit, the 30-year-old Thakur is also highly confident in his ability as a player and is fortunate to be playing Test cricket in an era where a captain like Kohli values that quality more than anything else. Is. Rohit may have handed over his Player of the Match award to Thakur when he was back in the dressing room as he really knew that his friend had missed out on that honor in Brisbane last year when India 186/7. and his 67 changed the pace of the match and the series afterwards. Similarly, at The Oval, India were in an even more precarious position with a scorecard of 127/7 and their 57 eventually paved the way for a 157-run victory on the final day. And, looking back, who knows that Thakur’s counter-attack could very well have turned the pace and outcome of the series in India’s favor on the very first day itself.
White ball experts are now just as good at red ball cricket!
There is another notable similarity in the opposite journey of these two players. While Rohit was always a batting prodigy who followed in the footsteps of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Thakur was a conspicuous worker in domestic cricket who worked hard and kept knocking on national selection doors without ever getting any serious attention from the selectors. . Rohit’s disappointing debut in Test cricket is well documented but his dominance in white-ball cricket eventually made him a better red-ball player in the latter part of his career. And, the finishing touches were achieved with the added responsibility of captaincy (Mumbai Indians) in the IPL. Thakur is not as experienced in white-ball cricket as Rohit, but he too was essentially considered a limited overs player [37 games combined in ODIs (15) and T20s (22)] Before he got a Test recall Down Under in 2020 after a disastrous start in 2018 (where he could bowl just 10 balls). However, it was ultimately the huge stage of IPL where Thakur displayed his skill and craft in such a way and as a deadly bowler in the death overs that he also managed to impress MS Dhoni in a remarkable way. So much so that his indomitable nature under pressure propelled Dhoni up the batting order for some crucial matches for CSK. And, he played a few blinders which convinced Thakur that he could do it even at the highest level, in red-ball cricket.
Mentor must be smiling in Dubai
Incidentally, it is no surprise that both Rohit and Thakur are indebted to their former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was a real mentor to them. The former India captain praised Rohit’s ability as an all-format batsman and backed him whenever the Mumbaikars were under pressure while playing for India. Thakur has also found similar shelter (to some extent) while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The great man in Dubai must have been smiling silently at the sight of two little kids starting to play together in Test cricket at the Oval in Mumbai.
get all IPL news and cricket score Here
.