ENG vs IND: 4th Test – Sensational Shardul and steady English openers dominate Day 4  

It was yet another batting day at The Oval on Day 4 of the fourth Test between England and India. The visitors extended their lead to 367 runs thanks to half-centuries from Shardul Thakur and Rishabh Pant. And then England openers Hameed and Burns survived while scoring 77 runs off 32 overs to keep the game well and truly alive.

Here are the talking points:

Shardul-Pant partnership

India needed to see off the first session safely on the fourth day. But England bowled well to reduce them to 312/6 and also picked up Virat Kohli’s key wicket. This is when Shardul Thakur came out to bat and batted superbly just like he did in the first innings. His drives and backfoot punches were so pleasing to the eyes while Pant played a mature knock. The duo added 100 runs together taking India to safe waters and also scored their respective half-centuries.

India’s tail wags again 

The trend of India’s second innings was losing two wickets together and yet again, after a 100-run partnership, the tourists lost both Thakur and Pant together. The lead was only 315 then and Bumrah and Umesh then played some proper cricketing shots to frustrate the tiring English attack. They scored 24 and 25 runs respectively which helped India set a target of 368 runs for England.

England openers go unscathed

After fielding for 148.2 overs, England openers Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns had a tough job to do in their second innings. But the duo put their heads down and did well to negotiate the 32 overs of play. They also scored 77 runs to keep England win a possibility on the final day. It will still take a huge effort for them but for now, the openers have done their job well.