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Shardul Thakur attempts to touch Jasprit Bumrah's feet; India pacer turns the tables on 'Lord': 'Main jeet gaya'
Jasprit Bumrah had the best response after Shardul Thakur went to touch his feet.
The Indian team is in great spirits ahead of the Lord's Test, having beaten England by a mammoth 336 runs three days ago in Birmingham. Besides, the fact that Jasprit Bumrah is back for the third Test of the series comes as a huge boost for a team that is already high on confidence. The last time Bumrah played a Test match at Lord’s – in 2021 – not only did India beat England, but the fast bowler played a big role. However, Bumrah's contribution with the bat overshadowed his showing with the ball. He finished with a match haul of 3/112, going wicketless in the first session. With the bat, though, Bumrah scored an unbeaten 34 off 64 balls, and with Mohammed Shami (56 not out from 70 balls), forged a ninth-wicket partnership of 89 runs, enough to set England a target of 272.
Four years later, Bumrah remembers his statistics well. "Shami bhai and I had put on quite a partnership. I scored 35 [34]," he said.
With Bumrah set to return – most likely in place of Prasidh Krishna – it would mark yet a third change in India’s bowling combination. In the second Test, Nitish Reddy replaced Shardul Thakur, and Akash Deep came in for Bumrah. Nonetheless, as Bumrah looks to unleash on England and go full-throttle, he was in for a fun moment when, on his way to the nets, Shardul decided to playfully touch his feet. Bumrah, obviously, did not let it happen, and got him back up before getting involved in a playful banter.
Here is how the conversation went:
Jasprit Bumrah: The Lord is at Lord's.
Shardul Thakur: That's why I am touching Jasprit Bumrah's feet
Jasprit Bumrah: That's his greatness. I am standing next to him. Main wohi jeet gaya (I've won).
Watch the clip below:
While Shardul is unlikely to feature at Lord's, it may not be a bad idea to bring him back for the fifth Test at The Oval. In the first innings, Shardul's 57 was instrumental in getting India to 191, but it was in the second dig that he proved his consistency with the bat yet again, scoring his second half-century of the match. Shardul's 60 helped the lower order rally and set England a target in excess of 350 to chase.
