Trisha Ghosal in Manchester
Why isn’t Shardul bowling more?
As England’s openers raced to 166, India’s most experienced seam-bowling all-rounder watched much of it from the outfield. Shardul Thakur bowled just five overs all day and this after being underused in the first Test as well.
Asked about it, he said: “The captain takes the calls. Usually, the player doesn’t have much say. There’s still time left — three more days in the game. I hope I get more overs.”
Rhythm, he admitted, has been difficult to find. “You never know when you’ll bowl. But I’ll try to use whatever experience I have. That’s all I can do.”
What went wrong with the bowling overall?
After Rishabh Pant’s brave knock pushed India to 358, England’s openers put the attack to the sword. Shardul didn’t deny India missed their lines.
“In the first 10-12 overs, runs flowed. We tried to pull it back, but couldn’t. We didn’t have enough patience in the channel. Some balls were really good, others just went for boundaries. That’s something we need to fix tomorrow.”
Was the new ball to blame?
Asked about the ball’s behaviour, Thakur said: “We could’ve done better with the new ball. I wouldn’t say it was difficult for bowlers. We were hoping for movement like we saw in the morning, but it didn’t happen for us.”
On Rishabh Pant’s injury and return
Pant, who didn’t travel with the team in the morning, shocked many by batting later in the innings, visibly in pain.
“We were told he’d gone to the hospital for treatment,” Shardul said. “They wanted to check if he could walk. He came back, warmed up and batted. There is a fracture — that’s confirmed.”
Thakur called Pant’s knock another chapter in his legend. “We’ve seen him bat with pain before. His passion is unmatched. His pain tolerance is unbelievable.”
Should broken bone subs be allowed in Tests?
“It’s being discussed, I read somewhere,” said Shardul. “But if it happens, it should be after this WTC cycle. Doing it midway could affect points and fairness.”
Final word: Hope remains
Despite the carnage, Shardul ended on a note of optimism: “If we stick to the right areas tomorrow, we can still fight back. That’s the only way forward.”
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz