Rohit Toh Chidhaate Rehta Hai: Shardul Thakur Reveals Why ODI Captain Often Playfully Teases Him
Shardul made a significant impact during the fourth Test against England, contributing valuable runs. With his consistent performances he has earned the affectionate nickname 'Lord' from fans. He also played a pivotal role in India's historic series victory in Australia during the 2020–21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, further solidifying his reputation as a clutch performer. When asked by former teammate Cheteshwar Pujara about his nickname in an interaction at Sony Sports , he stated:
"It feels good. Firstly, the fans have given me this name. So, whenever the fans give me any title, it's a good thing. That means fans love you, they like to see you play. Rohit keeps teasing me 'Lord'. It's a good thing. It does create a light-hearted moment and atmosphere. Even guys in the dressing room call me by that. So, it creates a good environment."
Lord Shardul: Knighted by Rohit Sharma, crowned by fans
Lord Shardul: Knighted by Rohit Sharma, crowned by fans
#SonySportsNetwork #GroundTumharaJeetHamari #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/3VVXjj7xxp — Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 25, 2025
Shardul's Comeback
Shardul, who missed the second and third Test matches, made his comeback in the fourth Test after Nitish Kumar Reddy sustained an injury following the third Test match against England at Lord's Stadium in London.
On Day 4 of the 4th Test between India and England in Manchester, England continued to dominate, but India showed significant resilience. England, resuming their innings, extended their massive lead. While Joe Root had already scored his masterful century on Day 3, England's captain Ben Stokes went on to score a brilliant century (141 runs) on Day 4, guiding England to a formidable first-innings total of 669, giving them a lead of 311 runs.
India's second innings started disastrously, losing two wickets for no runs in the very first over to Chris Woakes. However, captain Shubman Gill (78* runs) and KL Rahul (87* runs) then mounted a remarkable fightback, stitching together a resilient 174-run partnership for the third wicket by stumps.
Regarding the bowlers:
Shardul Thakur continued to be used sparingly by India. While he had bowled 11 overs for 55 runs and was wicketless by the end of Day 3, his usage on Day 4 remained limited, raising questions about India's bowling strategy and his role. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj both had injury scares on Day 3, with Bumrah twisting his ankle and Siraj experiencing discomfort. While both returned to the field on Day 4, their pace and effectiveness were noted to have dropped, indicating they were still managing their niggles. Ben Stokes also did not bowl due to a hamstring pull. By the end of Day 4, India was 174/2, still trailing England by 137 runs, setting up a tense final day with the weather forecast also playing a potential role.
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India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
5th Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal Slams Fifty, Takes India To 75-2 At Stumps On Day 2
On a day where 15 wickets fell, India managed to keep themselves just ahead of England by taking a 52-run lead at stumps on Day Two of the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval on Friday. Yashasvi Jaiswal's undefeated 51 ensured India reached 75/2 in 18 overs, before bad light forced stumps to be called 15 minutes earlier than expected on a day of see-saw cricketing action. In the morning, England ended India's first innings at 224, before being bowled out for 247 for a minuscule 23-run lead. When England put on an entertaining 92-run opening stand off only 12.4 overs and reached 109/1 at lunch, it felt that they would pile on a huge lead. But from the post-lunch session onwards, Mohammed Siraj got crucial scalps through his nip-backers and yorkers to pick 4-86 and became the current leading wicket-taker of the ongoing series. Prasidh Krishna troubled batters with up-and-down bounce as well as sideways movement to take 4-62. For England, Zak Crawley and Harry Brook went on to make half-centuries. While Crawley top-scored with 64, Brook's 53 helped England take a slender lead. Though England took out KL Rahul and B Sai Sudharsan, they would be ruing their three dropped catches, including that of Jaiswal, who raised his 13th Test fifty. In the morning, the session began with Karun Nair and Washington Sundar taking a boundary each off Tongue. But Tongue bounced back to deliver the first breakthrough for England when he got a ball to jag back in and beat Nair's inside edge to trap the batter plumb lbw for 57, with the right-handed batter also burning a review. In the next over, Washington was dismissed for 26 after he pulled a short delivery from Atkinson to deep square leg. Atkinson got his fourth wicket when his fuller delivery crashed into Mohammed Siraj's off stump to castle him through the gate. Two balls later, Atkinson completed a richly-deserving five-for by forcing Prasidh Krishna to nick an outswinger behind to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Atkinson's haul of 5-33 was all the more significant after Chris Woakes's left shoulder injury, sustained while fielding on day one's play, meant he won't be taking any further part in the match. It was unsurprising to see Duckett and Crawley be quick off the blocks in England's first innings, as they were severe on wide deliveries, irrespective of whether them being full or short. Crawley was magnificent in slashing, punching, and flicking Siraj for three fours, before Duckett ramped Akash Deep for six, just after surviving an lbw review. With Siraj, Akash, and Krishna unable to nail their lines and lengths, Crawley and Duckett merrily hit them for boundaries. The possibility of England ending their session wicketless came to a halt in the 13th over when Duckett once again tried to reverse scoop off Akash, but this time, he gloved it behind to wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel. Crawley brought up his third fifty-plus score of the series off 42 balls by dabbing Akash past gully for four, before Pope middled two drives off Prasidh for boundaries to end a super dominating morning session in England's favour. But the post-lunch session saw India put up a much-improved show with the ball – bowling tighter lines, good lengths, hitting the stumps much more to keep the pressure on the batters to get the session in their favour. Crawley had issues in timing the ball well after lunch, and in an attempt to pull off Prasidh, the right-handed batter top-edged to mid-wicket and fell for 64. Four overs later, Siraj got a length ball to come back in sharply and beat Ollie Pope's inside edge to trap him lbw for 22. India challenged the on-field call and got it in their favour as replays showed the ball hitting the middle and leg stumps. Brook and Joe Root tried stabilising England's innings by hitting five boundaries in their brief 33-run stand, before Siraj trapped the latter plumb lbw with a nip-backer coming in sharply again, as England also burnt a review. Siraj got more reward for his relentless toil when his inswinging yorker trapped Jacob Bethell lbw for just six. Prasidh then took over and dismissed Jamie Smith, who tried to punch off the back foot, but edged to KL Rahul, taking a sharp catch at second slip. At the stroke of tea, Prasidh trapped Jamie Overton plumb lbw for duck, as the session came to an end in India's favour. Atkinson began the final session by creaming Siraj and Prasidh each for a boundary. But on the fifth ball of the 47th over, Atkinson couldn't middle his pull shot and mid-on took a simple catch to give Prasidh his fourth wicket. Brook then swept Siraj for six in a style reminiscent of Rishabh Pant, before rain caused the proceedings to stop for 40 minutes. When play resumed, Brook brought up his 13th Test fifty off 57 balls. But Siraj managed to finish with four wickets as Brook tried to clip one away but was only left to see his stumps being rattled. With no Chris Woakes available for batting, it brought an end to England's innings at 247, their lowest total of this series. India's second innings began with Jaiswal driving crisply and using the cut shot well to take five boundaries – four of which came off Gus Atkinson. Jaiswal got a life on 20 when his edge off Atkinson was put down by Harry Brook at second slip, as the ball raced to the boundary rope. Jaiswal then slashed Jamie Overton for six, before getting another boundary off Josh Tongue to keep India afloat. But from the other end, Rahul was beaten on the outside edge and eventually nicked to Joe Root, who took a sharp, low catch at first slip. Jaiswal again had fortune on his side when, on 40, substitute fielder Liam Dawson dropped a sitter at long leg. More trouble followed England when Zak Crawley shelled Sudharsan's catch on seven at third slip. Jaiswal brought up his fifty off 44 balls with an upper-cut six over the slip cordon off Atkinson. But the pacer bounced back 20 minutes before the stumps break when his wobble ball struck Sudharsan on the pad and was trapped lbw for 11. The left-handed batter went for a review, but to no avail as replays showed the ball crashing into the stumps. Jaiswal and nightwatchman Akash Deep ensured India suffered no further damage to set the stage for another exciting day of Test cricket.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
IND vs ENG: Yashasvi Jaiswal powers India to 52-run lead with half century on Day 2
After being handed two lifelines in the field by England, Yashasvi Jaiswal took India to 75/2 with a fighting half century (51*) against England on the second day of the fifth Test at The Oval. India lead the fifth Test by 52 runs after losing the wickets of KL Rahul (7) and Sai Sudharsan (11) in their second innings in London. It was a day that saw 15 wickets fall and short rain interruptions before ending abruptly with light fading and umpires reportedly offering England stand-in captain Ollie Pope the option of bowling just spinners for the final 15 minutes, which he declined, possibly knowing how Jaiswal could punish them in those overs. Jaiswal was first by dropped by Harry Brook in second slip when on 20 runs, and then by Liam Dawson at deep fine leg when on 40. Jaiswal made those two chances count by staying unbeaten at the end of day 2 after an innings that saw him get to his half century off just 44 balls. At the end of the second day, Jaiswal had hit seven boundaries and two sixes. Sai Sudharsan too was dropped once on seven runs, but unlike Jaiswal, he could not make the most of it, departing for 11. The fate of the India vs England series rests on the ongoing fifth and final Test with England currently leading the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy by a 2-1 margin. Earlier in the day, England were bundled out for 247, a slender first innings lead of 23 runs. India captain Shubman Gill bowled his three pacers — Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna — for 49.2 of the 51.2 overs with Ravindra Jadeja bowling just for two overs. All top 5 England batters got starts, but it was the batting of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, who smashed 92 from 77 deliveries, that made the day entertaining. Siraj and Krishna picked up four wickets each, with Krishna ending with his best Test bowling figures for the national team, 4/62. Of those four was the wicket of England's top scorer Zak Crawley (64). But it was Siraj's four wickets that were game-changing for India: he picked up the scalps of stand-in captain Ollie Pope (22), Joe Root (29), Harry Brook (53) and Jacob Bethell (6). Siraj also became the leading wicket-taker for the series with 18 wickets. The next two bowlers in the race — Ben Stokes with 17 and Jasprit Bumrah with 14 — are not playing in this game. Josh Tongue is also on 14 wickets.
India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
Oval Test: Lion-hearted Siraj, brave Jaiswal inspire Indian fightback in thriller
If you're an Indian fan, chances are you may have lost all hope after witnessing the opening session on Day 2 of the Oval Test. Trailing England 1-2 heading into the series finale, India desperately needed a strong showing in their first innings to keep their hopes of levelling the series alive. However, they endured what was arguably their worst session of the tour on Friday morning-losing their last four wickets for just six runs and conceding 109 runs in 16 overs. | Oval Test, Day 2 Highlights - Scorecard |advertisementEven the most devoted Indian cricket fan might have considered switching off the television and planning a weekend that didn't involve watching the Anderson-Tendulkar then came a lion-hearted effort from Mohammed Siraj, ably supported by Prasidh Krishna, to script an almost implausible comeback with the ball. In the absence of their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and Prasidh dug deep and ensured that England were dismissed for 247. Tempers flared, words were exchanged and the Test match, much like the rest of the series, ebbed and flowed on Day 2. Yes, England did take a lead-but the 23-run advantage looked far less daunting than what they had been threatening earlier, especially when Duckett and Crawley were in full flow, scoring at over seven runs an over during their explosive opening picked up four wickets, taking his tally to a series-leading 18, while Prasidh delivered a vastly improved performance in the second session to claim four wickets of his own-including that of the rampaging Crawley, who seemed on course for a rapid massive!Mohammed Siraj gets the huge breakthrough, Joe Root is gone!#ENGvIND 5th TEST, DAY 2 | LIVE NOW on JioHotstar Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 1, 2025By the close of play, India had turned the tables, ending the day with a 52-run lead after reaching 75 for 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a brisk half-century, riding his luck after being dropped twice-once on 20 and again on lost No. 3 Sai Sudharsan with just 20 minutes left in the extended final session. In a tactical move, captain Shubman Gill opted not to walk in and instead sent in Akash Deep as play was called off 15 minutes before the scheduled close after England captain Ollie Pope refused to bring on his spinners when the fading light was not good enough to operate with fast bowlers. It was a questionable decision, and India headed into stumps with their nightwatchman still at the crease alongside the well-set extended India's advantage with a fluent fifty. While the young opener certainly enjoyed a bit of luck, he ensured the scoreboard kept ticking. Unafraid to take risks, Jaiswal recognised that a purely defensive approach might not suit the spicy pitch at The meets its match ball #SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @ybj_19 Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 1, 2025SIRAJ STEPS UP IN BUMRAH'S ABSENCE, AGAINIndia appeared to miss Jasprit Bumrah more than ever as England dominated the opening session, threatening to bat the visitors out of the contest. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley took an aggressive approach, standing well outside their crease to negate swing and playing with fearless intent, which completely unsettled the Indian pace raced to fifty in just 7.1 overs, compounding India's woes. The morning began with India losing overnight batters Karun Nair and Washington Sundar cheaply, and ended with them conceding nearly half their total in was at his audacious best-charging down the track against the quicks and executing reverse scoops with ease. He struck five fours and two sixes before falling to Akash Deep while attempting another reverse scoop. That dismissal turned out to be the only bright spot for India in an otherwise forgettable first the lunch break offered India a much-needed breather after the onslaught. When they returned for the second session, there was a noticeable shift in their approach. The bowlers were more patient, choosing to let the helpful conditions at The Oval assist them rather than going in search of extravagant transformation was immediate. Prasidh Krishna, who had gone for 31 runs in his five overs in the first session, struck the first blow after lunch-removing the dangerous Zak Crawley for 64 with a short ball. Crawley, caught off guard by the extra pace, fell to a delivery that was consistently clocking over 145 it was Mohammed Siraj's turn. The Hyderabad pacer produced a fiery spell to dismiss Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Jacob Bethell. He ramped up the pace and cleverly used scrambled seam and angles from the crease to extract movement off the surface. Both Pope and Root were outdone by balls that deviated sharply after third wicket-Bethell-was a searing yorker that left the young left-hander, standing in for the injured Ben Stokes, with no answer. Siraj's three-wicket burst was central to India's dominance in the post-lunch collapsed from 109 for 1 to 215 for 7 in that session, with Siraj's lion-hearted spell dragging India back into the match. He bowled eight overs on the trot, showing remarkable stamina despite the physical toll of having played all five Tests in the Anderson-Tendulkar Brook waged a lone battle for England, scoring a controlled half-century to ensure the hosts edged into the lead. But even he couldn't escape Siraj's wrath, falling to the pacer who finished with an impressive four-wicket haul."Siraj has a big heart. And with a heart like that, you can push through pain, push through fatigue, and deliver spells like this," said former India fast bowler Varun Aaron on JioHotstar."An eight-over burst in the fifth Test, bowled at that intensity-he was touching 140 kph throughout. Watching him charge in was a sight for sore eyes. It was beautiful."England were also hampered by the absence of Chris Woakes, who was ruled out after dislocating his shoulder on Day 1, leaving them a batter eventually secured a lead of 52 runs by stumps, but all eyes will now be on the crucial first session on Saturday. The team that seizes the advantage in the morning could well dictate the direction of the Test. India will be keen to set England a target in excess of 250, mindful of their ability to chase in the fourth innings in the Bazball era.- EndsTune InYou May Also Like
