ENG vs IND: Shardul Thakur ruled out of second Test, confirms Virat Kohli
The second Test between England and India is set to commence from Thursday at Lord’s. But both the teams grappled with injury concerns ahead of the crucial game. For England, Stuart Broad is set to miss the game while James Anderson is doubtful and now for India, Shardul Thakur has been ruled out of the second Test. Skipper Virat Kohli confirmed the news in the pre-match press conference.
Thakur was the fourth pacer for India in the first Test. Most importantly, he provided the much-needed balance to the team thanks to his batting skills at number eight. Though he bagged a duck with the bat, Thakur impressed with the ball picking a total of four wickets combined in both the innings. Even Kohli had praised him before the opening Test match terming him as a huge prospect for India going forward.
Coming back to his injury, Shardul Thakur didn’t seem to be completely fit during the second innings in Nottingham itself. The commentators pointed it out as he wasn’t bowling in his full tilt and even then, managed to send down 13 overs conceding 37 runs.
Meanwhile, Kohli was also confident that the Mumbai pacer will be fit for the third Test match. “Shardul should be okay for the third Test. He has a strain on his left hamstring. Everyone else is fine,” the 32-year-old said while speaking to the reporters.
Who can replace Shardul Thakur?
Shardul Thakur lent India the balance in the opening Test match when they needed four seamers. But with him getting ruled out now, it remains to be seen who replaces him in the playing XI. There is hope that sun will shine at Lord’s on all five days of the Test and this will certainly break up the pitch at some point. In that case, Ravi Ashwin, India’s premier spinner, might get a look in.
There is also a chance for Ishant Sharma to play if the visitors decide to go in with four pacers but then, their tail will be long from 8-11. Having said that, India’s last three batsmen added 73 runs in the first innings of Nottingham Test and given their ability to surprise always, Ishant or any other pacer playing can’t be ruled out at the moment.
Virat Kohli not pleased with Team India losing two WTC points for slow over rate
Fans witnessed some exciting action during the first Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge. Although several England players did well, India had the command for the majority of the contest. In fact, Virat Kohli’s men were on the cusp of victory, needing 157 runs on the final day with nine wickets in hand. England would also have fancied their chances to take a flurry of wickets on Day 5.
However, the heaven gates remained open on the final day and the result was drawn. Notably, this game marked the start of the second ICC World Test Championship cycle. Four WTC points were at stake in the game and they were divided with the game ending a draw. However, India and England still have zero points under their belt as their points were docked due to slow over-rates.
Match referee Chris Broad also fined both teams 40% of their match fees. With both teams having heavy pace attacks, the over rate was set to be on the lower side. However, the rate went lesser than the limit set and both teams subsequently faced repercussions. Indian skipper Virat Kohli was evidently disappointed with the decision and he expressed the same while interacting with media personnel.
“We are not pleased with two docked points. We were just short by two overs. But that’s how it is. We have to be careful,” said Kohli while addressing media ahead of the second Test. Over-rate-related points deductions could prove costly to teams during the WTC. Hence, all participating teams must have one eye on the clock while fielding.
If one may recall, Australia lost four points for their slow over-rate during the 2020 Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne. It ultimately cost them a place in the inaugural World Test Championship final. Now, India and England have also been punished for not maintaining a healthy rate. Nevertheless, the two teams are expected to be more careful on this in the remaining series.
Notably, the second Test between the two cricket powerhouses gets underway on August 12 (Wednesday) at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Stadium. With the first game resulting in a draw, this series has now effectively become a four-match affair.
Ajinkya Rahane’s form is not a concern for us: Virat Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli shushed the noise around Ajinkya Rahane’s form ahead of the second Test of the five-match Pataudi Trophy. Rahane has not been in the best of forms in the recent past and is currently averaging 20.62 from 13 innings in 2021.
The right-hander struck a century against Australia in Melbourne in last year’s Boxing Day Test, which came after a horrendous show in Adelaide when India slumped to 36 all-out in the Pink Test. In Kohli’s absence who took paternity leave after India’s Adelaide debacle, Rahane led the team India team to a come-from-behind win in Melbourne, before a hard-fought draw in Sydney and the historic victory in Brisbane to clinch the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. Rahane finished the series with 268 runs at 38.29.
He was a part of the team during the home series against England, where he tallied merely 112 runs from six innings at 18.67, with the best score of 67 in the second Test in Chennai. Rahane, however, was India’s highest run-getter (49) in the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton’s Ageas Bowl in June, a contest that India lost by eight wickets to concede the inaugural edition of the championship.
He had to miss the three-day warm-up fixture in Durham owing to a hamstring niggle, while at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, he was run-out for just five runs. Kohli, however, opened that the team is looking beyond “where people are individually”.
“I do not think Ajinkya Rahane’s form is an area of concern. Our basic focus is not to think about where are people individually at the moment, collectively how much strength they bring into the team is our focus,” Kohli said in a pre-match virtual press conference on the eve of the Lord’s encounter.
We expect Rishabh Pant to play the innings that changes the momentum: Virat Kohli
Kohli further expressed what the team expects from Rishabh Pant. “He has the capability to carry on and play long innings. He is intelligent – if you are looking to save the test, he will play like that and if the game is 50-50, he will take the chance and change the game”.
“That is how he plays and that is who he is. We want him to be that way. From Rishabh, we expect that he plays the innings that changes the momentum of the game and take that balance towards us. He is going to play this way,”.
Meanwhile, the Indian captain is not worried about the team’s batting depth despite Shardul Thakur’s exit from the second Test owing to a hamstring injury, after a promising show from the tailenders at Trent Bridge. “Shardul Thakur, besides bowling, he brings in more batting ability in the lower order. But I am not too much concerned about the batting depth as our lower order played well in the First Test.”
Virat Kohli rules out Mayank Agarwal’s inclusion for Lord’s Test
On the eve of the second Test against England, Indian skipper Virat Kohli confirmed that India will stick with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as their openers after the pair turned up with a vital stand in the first Test in Trent Bridge. Despite the match ending in a draw, there were a few positives and the opening partnership was one of them.
In the past few series, the Indian team has struggled to get together a strong opening stand which can negate the English conditions early on when the ball is new. However, Rahul and Rohit, who opened together for the first time in Test cricket were on point in the Trent Bridge Test. The pair managed an almost flawless 97-run stand to set up India’s first innings with the bat in this long five-match Test series.
Despite their fantastic stand, there was speculation whether Mayank Agarwal, who was the preferred choice for India ahead of the first Test, ahead of Rahul, might be recalled. However, Kohli explained that the team management feels comfortable with Rohit-Rahul continuing as the two openers for India. He remarked that the team won’t feel a batsman short if the pair continues.
We do not feel that we are batsman short, says Kohli
“Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul played really well in the first Test match. We are comfortable with how we are placed. We do not feel that we are Batsman short,” Virat Kohli said in a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. Ahead of the series, it was reported that Rahul was looking for an opportunity in the middle order and Mayank was slated to open alongside Rohit Sharma.
Unfortunately, Mayank got hit in the head a couple of days before the first Test. This forced India to open with Rahul, who had not played a single Test since August 2019. Despite his long absence from the red-ball game, Rahul seemed proactive and managed to put together a brilliant inning which in some ways saved India from a lot of trouble.
Rahul scored 84 runs from 214 balls, while he also made a quick 26 runs in the second innings. Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, got 36 runs in the first while he was unbeaten on 12 in the second innings. It should be noted that the duo has previously been successful opening for India in T20Is and ODIs.
In the 2019 World Cup in England, the pair had a few brilliant opening partnerships when Rahul replaced an injured Shikhar Dhawan midway through the tournament.
