England vs India, 4th Test: Visitors bowled out for 191
The Indian cricket team has been bowled out for 191 in the first innings of the fourth Test at the Oval. All-rounder Chris Woakes, who replaced Sam Curran in the XI, did the damage as India's middle-order woes continued. Indian skipper Virat Kohli showed promise with a brisk half-century but couldn't capitalize. A late cameo by Shardul Thakur fueled India's innings toward the end.
How did the innings pan out?
India were off to a shaky start after England invited them to bat in tricky conditions. The likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Cheteshwar Pujara departed soon before Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja reconstructed India's innings. Although Kohli broke the shackles, he was dismissed by Ollie Robinson on 50. Eventually, lower-order batsman, Thakur propelled India to a challenging total.
Kohli was close to his best
Once again, Indian captain Kohli got off to a terrific start. He negotiated James Anderson well in the first session. Kohli gave an exhibition of his classic cover and on drives during the innings. He was also dropped once in the slip cordon by Joe Root. However, Kohli still went on to slam his 27th Test fifty. He was dismissed on 50 (96).
Kohli completes 23,000 international runs
Kohli added another feather to his cap. The 32-year-old completed 23,000 runs in international cricket. He also became the fastest to the landmark, having surpassed Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar for the record. Kohli completed his 23,000th international run in his 490th innings, the fewest taken to this landmark. Tendulkar had achieved the same in 522 international innings.
A phenomenal counter-attack by Thakur
Shardul Thakur launched a befitting counter-attack after India were tottering on 127/7. He had a crack on the bowlers, having smashed them all around the ground. Thakur finished on 57 off 36 balls, a knock that was laced with 7 fours and 3 sixes.
