'I remember Sam Curran telling me that...' - Shardul Thakur reveals his conversation with Sam Curran on Day 4 of The Oval Test

With the fifth and final Test between England and India getting suspended due to COVID-19 fear, the series ended on a bitter note. However, nothing can deny that both teams played some great brand of cricket in the first four games. While all four matches were nail-biting, the fourth Test at the Kennington Oval in India was arguably the most exciting.

Notably, India had lost the third Test by an innings by 76 runs. Moreover, they got bundled out for a mere 191 while batting first in the penultimate game. As England posted 290 in their first innings, the home team earned a hefty lead of 99 runs. At this point, India’s defeat seemed a mere formality. However, the Virat Kohli-led side put up a remarkable fightback and stunned the English side. India posted 466 in their second innings before bundling England out for 210 runs.

This way India won the contest by 157 runs, and earned an unassailable 2-1 in the series. Notably, the track progressively got better for batting and a draw seemed the most likely result at stumps on Day 4. England were 77/0 at the start of day 4 and India had to take all 10 wickets in a day for victory. With the target being beyond England’s reach, a draw was on the cards. However, Indian bowlers roared back and got the job done.

One of the chief architects of India’s triumph was Shardul Thakur. Besides scalping three wickets, the right-handed batter scored twin half-centuries. Speaking of the team’s approach on Day 5, Shardul said the camp was confident of bundling England out.

There was nobody who thought about a draw: Shardul Thakur

“We all had believed that we will win this game from there on. There was nobody who thought about a draw. The last day-pitch is never easy to play on. We were confident that Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) will give us a wicket, so will Bumrah. It was a collective contribution. We have been working hard to see these kind of results. We need to be positive all the time, there is no place of negativity in this dressing room,” Thakur was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Thakur also revealed an interesting conversation with his Chennai Super Kings teammate Sam Curran. The pacer recalled the England all-rounder was confident about his side’s batting strength. However, his prediction didn’t prove accurate.

“On the fourth day evening session, I remember Sam Curran telling me that the wicket is flat and that they will score 100 runs without losing any wicket. I said “don’t worry, I will get a breakthrough and you will lose five quick wickets the next day and we will win this game. All this somehow came true. Acha time chal raha hai mera, so le lo jeetna mil raha hai,” he added.