Shardul Thakur reveals newly acquired 'nickname' after record-breaking stint at Oval Test

India's fast-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has revealed that his teammates are now teasing him with Ian Botham's name after he broke the ex-England cricketer's record while batting in the first innings of the fourth Test at The Oval. Thakur, who was included in the playing XI for the penultimate Test on Thursday, September 2, made a remarkable comeback as he went on to become the highest run-scorer for India in the first innings. In the process, the Mumbai cricketer also broke Ian Botham's record of the fastest half-century at the iconic ground. 

Thakur said his teammates have nicknamed him Ian Botham after he scored the fastest half-century at The Oval. Thakur further added that it's good for him to be compared with "greatest of the game". 

Thakur scored a magnificent 57 off just 36 balls, including 7 boundaries and 3 maximums. The 29-year-old scored his half-century off just 31 balls, breaking Botham's 34-year-old record of 32 ball-50. Thakur also finished the innings as India's highest run-scorer. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was the second-highest scorer for India in the first innings, courtesy of his 50 off 96 balls. Thakur also bowled 3 overs in the game, giving away just 11 runs at an economy of 3.67. 

India vs England 4th Test

As far as the match is concerned, England skipper Joe Root won the toss and elected to bat first. England pacers Chris Woakes and Ollie Robinson provided an early breakthrough as they dismissed Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul for 11 and 17 runs, respectively. James Anderson joined the party as he sent Cheteshwar Pujara back to the pavilion for just 4 runs. Indian skipper Virat Kohli gave India some hope as he scored a beautiful half-century, his second of the series. However, after Robinson managed to dismiss Kohli for 50 off 96 balls, the rest of the batting line-up crumbled. 

The Indian batting line-up looked frail up until Shardul Thakur took charge and took the Kohli-led side to a respectable first-innings total of 191 runs. When England came to bat in the second innings, Jasprit Bumrah fired up by taking two wickets in a single over, dismissing both the openers cheaply. Umesh Yadav then chipped in and took the most crucial wicket from the England side, send back their captain Joe Root for 21 runs. Dawid Malan and Craig Overton will resume batting for England on Day 2 at their overnight score of 26 and 1 respectively. England is at 53/3. 

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