England cricket team truly and rightfully owned the first day of the fourth Test against India at the Kennington Oval in London. While England were hoping for a perfect finish to the first innings, it was pace all-rounder Shardul Thakur who lifted India’s spirits. After an early collapse of the batting unit, Virat Kohli & Co. were inching towards a low score.
However, Shardul slammed the fastest ever Test fifty on England soil to lit up a gloomy Indian dug-out. The 29-year-old produced a counter-attacking masterclass to reach his fifty in just 31 deliveries. Meanwhile, the seamer ended with 57 runs off 36 balls.
By scoring a 31-ball 50, Thakur broke Ian Botham’s record of smashing the fastest Test fifty in England. Botham had got to the landmark in 32 balls in 1986 at the Oval. Interestingly, it was also the second-fastest Test fifty by an Indian batsman. Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev holds the record for slamming the fastest half-century in the purest format of the game. He had hit a 30-ball fifty against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982.
Shardul Thakur steers India to a decent score
Shardul Thakur’s mind-boggling knock was laced with as many as seven boundaries and six maximums. The Maharashtra-born made a mockery of England’s lethal pace trio of James Anderson, Craig Overton, and Ollie Robinson.
The exploits by Thakur resulted in India posting 191 runs on the scoreboard in their first batting innings. Apart from Shardul, Indian skipper Virat Kohli also regained his form as he hit a morale-boosting fifty. Kohli hammered 50 runs off 96 balls before losing his wicket to Ollie Robinson. However, India’s batting woes continued as no other batsman apart from Thakur and Kohli could hit even 15 runs.
