On the third day of the World Test Championship Final between Australia and India, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian side fought back and put up a valiant effort. India ended Day 2 with a score of 151/5, and Australia began the proceedings by dismissing KS Bharat in the very first over, dealing India a major setback. However, what happened next astounded everyone.
Shardul Thakur joined forces with Ajinkya Rahane, and the two shared a 109-run seventh wicket partnership. They stabilised India’s innings and increased the tally from 152/6 to 261/7. While Rahane fell 11 runs short of a well-deserved century, Shardul Thakur scored his third half-century at the venue, concluding with 51 (109).
Thakur was outstanding with the bat, and his strike was an appropriate response to his critics. The partnership between Rahane and Thakur brought their team back into contention and kept their team’s aspirations alive just as it appeared that India’s innings had come to an end. Thakur’s 109-ball innings of 51 included six fours, while his strike rate was 46.78.
With this inning, Thakur became the second Indian player to register a fifty in the WTC Final, following Rahane, who was the first to do so in the same inning. Having played three innings at The Oval, Thakur has now scored three fifties in all of these contests, demonstrating once again his all-around ability. Thakur also became the second Indian batsman to achieve a fifty while batting at number eight. Thakur has scored 168 runs at a 56.00 average in three innings across two Tests.
Thakur joined legendary cricketers such as Australia’s Sir Don Bradman and Allan Border as the players with the most consecutive 50-plus scores in Tests at The Oval. Bradman was the first cricketer to accomplish this achievement in 1930 and 1934, and Border was the second player to accomplish this feat when he scored consecutive centuries in 1985 and 1989.
Thakur scored a half-century against England in his previous match at The Oval in 2021, and he has done so again in 2023.
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