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Updated September 5th, 2021 at 23:10 IST

India's Shardul Thakur becomes the sixth batsman in Test history to achieve THIS feat

Shardul Thakur became the sixth cricketer in Test history to score half-centuries in both innings of the match while batting at number eight.

Reported by: Azhar Mohamed
Shardul Thakur
Image credits: AP | Image:self
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Day 4 of the fourth test match between England vs India saw Shardul Thakur score a brilliant 60 off 72 balls in the second innings of the match. With his second fifty of the match, he became the sixth cricketer in Test history to score half-centuries in both innings while batting at number eight.

Shardul Thakur delivered a similar performance in the first innings of the current Oval Test between Eng vs Ind. If his 36-ball 57 in the first was aggressive, his 60 off 72 in the second was pure class. Thakur's counterattacking 8th wicket partnership with Umesh Yadav enabled India to post a competitive total. Thakur hit seven fours and a six in his well-paced knock, taking full advantage of the fine batting conditions at The Oval on a sunny day.

Thakur hit his second fifty of the match, the third in his Test career, and added a century-run stand with Rishabh Pant for the seventh wicket to put India back in contention for victory. As he hit his second fifty, Thakur became only the third batsman from the Indian national cricket team to score two consecutive fifties in consecutive innings after Harbhajan Singh and fellow teammate Wriddhiman Saha.

Along with the previous record, Thakur also broke some other records where he smashed a half-century in the first innings in just 31 balls, the second-fastest half-century in Test cricket for India. Kapil Dev set the record with 30 deliveries against Pakistan at Karachi in 1982. In terms of strike rate, Thakur's 36-ball 57 is the second-fastest fifty-plus score for India in Tests, trailing only Kapil's 55-ball 89 against England at Lord's in 1982. Thakur also set a record for the quickest half-century in a Test match in England. The previous record-holder was Ian Botham, who did it in 32 balls against New Zealand in 1986, also at The Oval.

Shardul justifies his nickname of “Lord Shardul”

Shardul Thakur's batting performance was not a coincidence. His exploits with the bat and ball in the Brisbane match between India vs Australia, where he scored a brilliant 67 off 115 balls, put up a 123-run stand with Washington Sundar, and took 7 wickets, demonstrated how he has matured with both the bat and the ball.

When Thakur reached fifty, his teammates stood up in the changing room and applauded him. The Indian players, however, were not the only ones who were taken aback by Thakur's batting. Twitter users were equally amused and, as is customary, took to the social media platform to express their admiration for “Lord Shardul”.

Image credits: AP 

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Published September 5th, 2021 at 23:10 IST

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