I think Shardul Thakur is not the same Test bowler we saw 18 months back: Sanjay Manjrekar

The English Test team unlocked a new achievement on Tuesday (July 5) when they chased a big total of 378 runs against India in the rescheduled fifth Test match that happened at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Though it looked like a tough target, the Indian bowlers were not much effective. Meanwhile, former India player Sanjay Manjrekar has presented his views on Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj’s performances in the series.

England batters fulfilled the task with ease and won the final game early on the fifth day with seven wickets in hand. While Bumrah was able to manage the captaincy pressure and pick wickets too, the England batters gave a tough time to other bowlers as they smacked them for boundaries all over the ground to get a big score and finish off the chase.

The chase started with openers Alex Lees and Zak Crawley sharing a 107-run stand to give their side a dream start. But after three quick wickets, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow shared a strong and steady partnership, bagged their respective centuries, and won the game for England.

“I think Shardul Thakur is not the same bowler we saw in Test cricket, maybe 18 months back. I have been watching Mohammed Siraj’s evolution as a bowler. The seam-up delivery has just gone,” said Manjrekar on Sony Sports Network after the match.

Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur were expensive

Notably, the pace-duo played a major role in India’s historic win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. They replicated their heroics when the Pataudi Trophy series against England started last year in 2021 before the fifth match was postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp. But the two were not able to meet up to the expectations and bowled at a poor economy rate.

Meanwhile, India scored 416 runs in the first innings after being invited to bat first. The visitors then bowled England out for 284 to grab a 132-run lead after the first innings. England successfully chased down the 378-run goal by scoring at a rate of nearly five runs per over while the Jasprit Bumrah-led team struggled in their second innings and was bowled out for 245.