India all-rounder Shardul Thakur displayed a big heart and hit a fighting half-century against Australia in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final at The Oval in London on Friday (June 9).
When Shardul came to the crease, India were reeling at 152 for six, losing KS Bharat early on Day 3. They still needed 118 runs to avoid the follow-on and were 317 behind Australia’s first-innings total of 469. However, by the time Shardul departed, India avoided the follow-on and successfully brought the deficit under 200. Teaming up with Ajinkya Rahane (89), Shardul constructed a crucial 109-run partnership for the seventh wicket. This stands as India’s highest partnership for any wicket in the WTC finals.
Shardul faced a tough challenge from Australia captain Pat Cummins, who bowled him a barrage of aggressive deliveries. After being hit twice by Cummins in the same over, Shardul resorted to using arm guards on both hands. He was also fortunate to survive an early drop in the slip cordon by Cameron Green. Nevertheless, Shardul remained composed and gradually found his rhythm.
The 31-year-old, who has now developed a reputation for being a crisis man with the bat, successfully completed his half-century. He hit six fours in his 109-ball stay in the middle and was finally dismissed after playing an expansive drive off Green in the post-lunch session.
This was Shardul’s third consecutive fifty at The Oval. He became the first Asian batter to score three fifties at the venue, and the third visiting batter. Don Bradman and Allan Border are the other two cricketers to hold the record. Shardul has amassed 168 runs in two Test matches at the Oval. He has batted in only three innings and boasts a staggering average of 56. His first two consecutives fifties came against England in September 2021.
Take a bow! Well-fought innings from Shardul Thakur.#cricket #WTCFinal #INDvAUS #ShardulThakur #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/g42wdekKSF
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 9, 2023
Visiting Batters with most consecutive 50 plus scores at The Oval
- Sir Donald Bradman: 3 (1930-34)
- Allan Border: 3 (1985-89)
- Shardul Thakur: 3 (2021-23)
