ENG vs IND 2021, 4th Test, Day 4 Stats Review: Shardul Thakur, Moeen Ali accomplish milestones

The ongoing fourth Test match between England and India is going nowhere as all three results look possible at stumps on Day 4. The Three Lions need to score 291 runs on the final day with all the 10 wickets in hand. Notably, the track at the Kennington Oval in London has progressively gotten better with time. Hence, the Indian bowlers need to put up a substantial effort to take their side over the line.

Speaking of the proceedings of Day 4, India, in their second innings, resumed with their overnight score at 270/3. Having already gained a 171-run lead, the visiting team was eyeing to post a mammoth total. However, they suffered a couple of early blows in the day with Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane getting out inside the first hour.

However, skipper Virat Kohli continued his sensational run and scored his second fifty of the game. The talismanic batter passed the baton to Rishabh Pant and Shardul Thakur and the duo didn’t disappoint. Both dashers scored fifties as India tightened their grip on the game. Denting England further, the likes of Umesh Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah also played handy cameos.

As a result, India posted 466, giving England a target of 368 runs. While the visiting team’s win seemed a matter of time, England openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed dented their party. The duo added 77 runs and remained unbeaten at stumps. Hence, Day 5 has a lot in prospect and both teams would be raring to unleash their best.

Meanwhile, here are the important stats and numbers from the England vs India 4th Test Day 4:

2 – This is only the second instance of India’s top four scoring over 40 in a Test innings in a SENA country. The other instance was recorded in 1986 against Australia in Sydney.

2 – Moeen Ali dismissed Virat Kohli for the sixth time in Test cricket, second-most by any bowler. James Anderson and Nathan Lyon have dismissed the veteran batter seven times each in the longest format.

2– Only for the second time in the 21st century, India scored over 400 runs in their second innings of a Test against England. In 2002, they posted 428/8 in their second innings in Nottingham.

4 – Shardul Thakur became the fourth Indian to score twin half-centuries in a Test match while batting below number seven. Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are the three, holding the feat.

10 – Moeen Ali became the first spinner to dismiss Virat Kohli 10 times in international cricket.

7 – Rishabh Pant scored his seventh half-century in Test matches and first in this series.

1 – Ajinkya Rahane became the first Indian to record three Test ducks at an overseas venue. Besides this Test, the veteran batter also recorded ducks at the Kennington Oval in 2014 and 2018.

3 – Virat Kohli became the third Asian player to score over 1000 Test runs in both England and Australia. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid are the other two, holding the milestone.

2 – Only for the second time this century, an England opening pair has added 50 runs in the fourth innings of a home Test. In 2012, Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook added 89 against West Indies in Nottingham.