"Really Happy to Get Root’s Wicket"– Shardul Thakur

Indian bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was extremely happy after grabbing the most important wicket in the England batting line-up, that of Joe Root. It paved the way for Jasprit Bumrah to clean up the tail soon afterward. England was bundled out for 183 in 65.4 overs, as Root top-scoring with a fluent 64.

In the aftermath of the day’s play, Thakur joined Michael Atherton in conversation about his performance. Thakur stated that Root’s wicket was extremely crucial and he was excited to have been the one to deliver it.

“If you see he (Root) had played a few balls and he was playing really well and looked poised for a big score. At that period, getting him out was crucial for us and we got him. Really happy about getting Root’s wicket. One of the top batters in the world, whether you get him in the ’60s or ’90s it’s always a good wicket to have,” the 29-year-old right-arm said.

“Enjoying the English conditions, it’s swinging and hopefully it will stay the same” – Shardul Thakur

After winning the toss, England skipper Joe Root decided to bat first considering it was sunny and probably the best time to bat. However, the Indian bowlers had a fantastic outing as they made use of the conditions on offer to generate a considerable amount of swing.

As a result, Root’s decision to wield the willow first backfired spectacularly. Apart from Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami, Thakur also bowled great spells and was rewarded for his consistent nagging.

“If you look at the pitch it looked like it won’t spin much and felt better to go with four pacers and one spinner combination. Enjoying the English conditions, it’s swinging and hopefully, it will stay the same. We got good pitches to practice in Durham and really enjoyed the conditions there,” Thakur mentioned.

At the end of day one’s play, Indian openers saw the new ball bowlers out before reaching 21/0, trailing England by 161 runs in the first innings.