ICC WTC Final: Shardul Thakur equals Don Bradman, Allan Border’s record with half-century: Shardul Thakur has been a magic man for India over the last couple of years. The all-rounder has a knack for producing unthinkable feats when these are least expected. With his canny ability to achieve unbelievably stuff, Shardul has once again come into the limelight after scoring a gritty half-century against Australia in the ICC WTC Final.
This time, Shardul Thakur not only scored a fifty but also equalled the records of Don Bradman and Allan Border of scoring three consecutive half-centuries at the Oval by a visiting batter.
Notably, Shardul had struck two consecutive half-centuries against England back in 2021 during the five-match test series. The all-rounder scored 57 in the first innings after coming at number seven, then supplemented it with a 60-run knock in the third innings of the Oval Test.
With his score of 51 runs from 109 deliveries with the help of six boundaries against Australia at the World Test Championship (WTC) stage, Thakur has become the only third visiting batter to smash three consecutive half-centuries at the Kennington Oval in London.
ICC WTC Final: Shardul-Ajinkya rescue India from dire situation
Team India were trapped in a dire situation following another top-order failure in pursuit of a mammoth 469-run total. After being reduced to 71 runs in the loss of 4 wickets, Ajinkya Rahane joined forces with Ravindra Jadeja and stitched a 70-run partnership. However, Ravindra Jadeja was removed by Nathan Lyon, two short of his well-made half-century.
Post the dismissal of Jadeja, wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat was also dismissed by the Aussies which brought Shardul Thakur into the middle with Ajinkya Rahane going strong at the other end.
Both Shardul and Rahane added 109 runs and dragged India back into the game after early blows. Rahane scored 89 runs with the help of 11 boundaries and a six, Shardul Thakur managed to complete his half-century before getting dismissed.
India avoided the follow-on with 296 runs on the board at the end of the innings on day three of the ICC WTC Final.
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