Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur deserved to win the man of the match award for his outstanding performance in the Oval Test. The jury seemed to be more pleased with Rohit Sharma's century, and it was truly something special from the hitman.
In the fourth Test at the Oval, both Mumbai cricketers contributed to one of India's biggest victories in England. It has also given the Indian team a 2-1 lead, and they are well on their way to bringing the Pataudi trophy back to India for the first time in 14 years.
Michael Vaughan praised Rohit for his excellent knock but said Thakur deserved to be named man of the match for his outstanding overall effort with both bat and ball. Thakur scored a key 57 in the first innings and another important 61 in the second innings when the team was under duress, according to Vaughan. He also mentioned Thakur's vital wickets of Joe Root and Rory Burns on day five, which helped India win the game.
“Ahh, he should have got Man of the Match. No question. Rohit played great but Shardul Thakur impacted the game four times – twice with the bat and twice with the ball. Key wickets, that massive wicket of Ollie Pope (in the first innings), and then (in the second innings) Rory Burns first and then the captain. Two fifties – [India were] 117-7, he changed the course of the game in the first innings,” Michael Vaughan told on Cricbuzz.
Michael Vaughan stated that Shardul Thakur's under-pressure innings had a significant impact on the Test and aided the visitors in staging a comeback. He also expressed surprise that Thakur did not receive the man of the match award.
“Under pressure in the second innings, he went in and got another fifty. I am staggered he wasn’t Man of the Match,” He added.
The fifth Test begins on September 10 at the Oval, and England will be looking to tie the series up.
