Chak De India! Shashi Tharoor points out holes in Indian team, bats for Sarfaraz Khan’s inclusion | Cricket News
A day after apologising to Team India for doubting their chances following their series-levelling six-run victory against England in the fifth and final Test at The Oval in London, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has highlighted key takeaways from the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy while also pointing out areas of concern in the Shubman Gill-led team.Tharoor wrote on X: “Takeaways for #TeamIndia after #INDvsENG: Gill’s batting; Siraj’s bowling; Jaiswal’s flowering; Rahul’s steadiness; Pant’s brilliance; Washington’s versatility; Jadeja’s reliability; Prasidh’s & Akash Deep’s improvement.”In the same tweet, Tharoor also addressed what Team India needs to work on going forward: “Still need to find: A strong middle-order bat capable of taking the fight to the opposition: remember @sarfarazkhan977? More pace-bowling backups for @Jaspritbumrah93; and a fast-bowling all-rounder in the @hardikpandya7 mould (but with the gumption to face the rigours of Test cricket). Chak De India! @BCCI @GautamGambhir”Siraj’s remarkable nine-wicket match haul earned him the Player of the Match award, stepping up in the absence of regular pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for workload management.
The match reached a thrilling conclusion with England needing just 35 runs with four wickets remaining at the start of play, but Siraj’s exceptional bowling—supported by Prasidh Krishna—sealed the win for India.“Words fail me… WHAT A WIN! Absolutely exhilarated & ecstatic for Team India on their series-clinching victory against England! The grit, determination, and passion on display were simply incredible. This team is special,” Tharoor posted on X.“I am sorry that I expressed a spasm of doubt about the outcome yesterday. But @mdsirajofficial never stopped believing! Shabash to our heroes‼️” he added.Tharoor had previously expressed concerns about the match’s outcome on Sunday, reminiscing about former player Virat Kohli‘s contributions to the team.“I’ve been missing @imVkohli a few times during this series, but never as much as in this Test match. His grit and intensity, his inspirational presence in the field, not to mention his abundant batting skills, might have led to a different outcome. Is it too late to call him out of retirement? Virat, the nation needs you!” Tharoor had written.
