Shardul Thakur roared at the right time when his team needed him the most. Back-to-back wickets, a chance created to make it a hat trick. The all-rounder in two deliveries got the wickets of centurion Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.

With the couple of strikes, the momentum of the match suddenly changed, and India finally got some much-required oxygen to survive. India set a target of 371, which initially looked unachievable, especially when the matter needed to be settled on the very last day of the match. But it was England with their famous Bazball in their own backyard.

Josh Tounge already said after Day 4 that they would only go for a win. The opening pair of England got the team the required boost to chase down such a big total. Zak Crawley (65) and Duckett, together, snatched an 188-run partnership. Duckett was looking unstoppable, and the situation could get worse for India if the partnership of Duckett and Harry Brook got a successful launch. Shardul Thakur helped India to skip the difficulty.

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Thakur made the day more interesting 

Thakur, with his reflexes, made it possible to dismiss a well-steeled Duckett through a caught and bowled, and the batter was then on 149 with 21 boundaries and one 6. On the other side, Brook, who got a 99, this time ran out of fortune and lost his wicket on the very first ball he faced. Thakur outclassed Brook; Rishabh Pant, behind the stumps, took the catch. 

England suffered two scalps in two deliveries, and India is back on track to keep the game alive. 

Lord Shardul Thakur🔥🔥🙌🏻

#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/Qu3SKJSLgp

— Sarcasm (@sarcastic_us) June 24, 2025

So masterminds Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill chose clowns like Shardul Thakur and Karun Nair over match performers like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Anshul Kamboj.

What a clown ICT management we have🤡#INDvsENG #ENGvsIND pic.twitter.com/atkkiTF4Ft

— Bruce Wayne (@_Bruce__007) June 23, 2025

Lord shardul thakur kya lucky aadmi hai 😭🔥 #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/4oVrxBmQ5L

— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) June 24, 2025

Only Shardul Thakur taking a wicket off an absolute trash ball can save India in this match 🙏 pic.twitter.com/tgxJoa2MQj

— Dinda Academy (@academy_dinda) June 24, 2025

Lord Shardul Thakur who did nothing in the match, came on the last day and took 2 wickets in 2 balls pic.twitter.com/0uF2eSVopn

— Sagar (@sagarcasm) June 24, 2025