Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned India for picking Shardul Thakur in the fourth Test match against England at Old Trafford. While Thakur scored a crucial knock of 41 runs in the first innings, he could not deliver with the ball. Thakur was given only 11 overs by Shubman Gill and he conceded 55 runs, giving away his runs at an economy rate of five runs/over.
The Mumbai all-rounder had also failed to deliver in the opening Test match of the series against England at Leeds, Headingley, with both bat and ball.
Chopra highlighted that there is a question of whether India gains anything by playing Thakur in the team.
Meanwhile, England were able to put themselves in front after aggregating 669 runs on the board, with a lead of 311 runs.
“Ben Stokes was doing well with the ball at the start and was slightly cold with the bat, but he has scored a century here. So he has scored runs and picked up a five-wicket haul. India had scored 358, and they have scored 669. They have a 311-run lead. I don’t even remember the last time India conceded 600 runs,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra highlighted that India’s fast bowling battery lacked sharpness against England.
“In bowling, (Mohammed) Siraj looked slightly 50-50. We have spoken about (Jasprit) Bumrah’s speed. Shardul Thakur hasn’t really impressed much. So there is a question whether you gain anything by playing him,” he added.
On the other hand, debutant Anshul Kamboj conceded 89 runs in 18 overs he bowled and picked up a wicket of Ben Duckett. Chopra questioned the rookie pacer’s selection after his underwhelming debut.
“There is a question about Anshul Kamboj. Was he fully ready for this match, or were you too hasty? You have played him, but maybe he wasn’t ready because he was returning from injury. There are plenty of questions, but the truth is that the bowling looked cold,” he said.
Chopra feels India missed the services of a wicket-taker like Kuldeep Yadav in the Old Trafford Test.
“I admit the pitch is flat, because we should have scored 425-450 when we scored 350, although the ball was moving a little more till the second day. After that, the pitch became like a road where everyone hit. However, bowling definitely was found out because you need wicket-takers on such pitches, and Kuldeep Yadav was definitely missed,” Chopra observed.
After lunch on the final day’s play, India were 251-4 after 96 overs.
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