'Everything he touches is turning into gold': Gavaskar feels India have found 'just the player they need for the team'

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reckons India, in Shardul Thakur, would well have found a player for the long haul, especially for Test matches overseas.

Coming off a 157-run win against England in the fourth Test, India could look back and shortlist plenty of positives emerging for them at The Oval. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul continue to score runs at the top, Virat Kohli regaining his touch with a fifty and 44, Cheteshwar Pujara scoring another half-century and the form of two of their leading pacers – Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.

Sunil Gavaskar has his say on Shardul Thakur (Twitter)

While Bumrah claimed four wickets in the match, his figures of 2/27 in the second innings were simply outstanding as he put on a brilliant show of reverse-swing. Partnering him was Umesh, who finished with a match-haul of six wickets, playing his first Test since December of 2020. However, the biggest gain for India from the Oval Test seems to be the all-round skills of Shardul Thakur.

Thakur had impressed with the bat with a half-century at the Gabba, but with his twin fifties against England has only enhanced his reputation as a dependable all-rounder. Watching his exploits with both bat and ball, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar reckons India, in Thakur, would well have found a player for the long haul, especially for Test matches overseas.

"Look, at the moment… everything he touches is turning into gold. I mean, some of the shots he played were glorious… the thumping six, the straight drive. They were absolutely delightful to watch. And the confidence with which he batted, you could see. And that was most impressive about him," Gavaskar said on Sony Sports Network.

After picking up 1/54 in the first innings, Thakur walked out to bat with the team in dire straits at 127/7. Batting at No. 8, Thakur scored a blazing half-century – 57 off 36 balls with seven fours and a six to lift India to 191. In the second innings, after India had lost Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, it looked as if their lead would be curtailed to somewhere around 220. But Thakur once again provided fireworks with the bat scoring a second fifty of the match, as he and Rishabh Pant added a century partnership for the seventh wicket. Later, with the ball, Thakur picked up the first England wicket to fall and then added the dangerous scalp of captain Joe Root.

"In England particularly, when the ball is moving around, he bowled an absolute beauty of a delivery. It pitched and just left the left-handed Rory Burns, who was batting well. To deceive a batsman with that kind of delivery takes something special and that's what he produced. And then of course, there was getting Joe Root out. He's got that ball which comes in and Root, looking to run the ball down point, got that inside edge because the ball had nipped back in," Gavaskar added.

"He's contributing with the bat, he's contributing with the ball. India have found just the player they need for the team at No. 8, definitely in England and perhaps in South Africa as well."