England Take Leeds & India Hopes

Fifth bowler Thakur goes underutilised even as the visitors allow Stokes and Co to chase down 371 in the first Test

- FIROZ MIRZA @Chennai

WHEN rain forced early tea on the last day of the first Test in Leeds, Headingley on Tuesday, England were 102 runs shy of yet another famous victory. Two back-to-back wickets in the 55th over bowled by Shardul Thakur might have acted as a roadblock, but that was all it was as Joe Root held fort at one end, taking England to a famous victory and a 1-0 lead.

If it was Root who finished the job, openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett had laid the foundation with a 188-run stand with the latter slamming 149 off just 170 balls taking Indian bowlers to cleaners.

Even as Jasprit Bumrah and others were unable to break the partnership, fifth bowling option Thakur was introduced in the 12th over of the day, 18th of the innings and soon taken off the attack after sending down only three overs. Agreed, he was going for almost run-a-ball then but another pacer Pradish Krishna was equally expensive. The Mumbai medium pacer was brought back only in the 53rd over, 31 overs after the captain decided to discontinue with him. Playing as a bowling-allrounder and probably preferred over a frontline bowler in Kuldeep Yadav, the 33-year-old could bowl only six overs in the first innings even as four others including Jasprit Bumrah bowled 20 or more overs.