NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Shardul Thakur believes the visiting Indian team has what it takes to win the upcoming five-match Test series against England, which begins in Leeds on Friday. Shardul was part of the Indian squad that toured England in 2021-22. India were leading 2-1 in that series before the final Test was postponed to the following year due to Covid-19. India, playing without regular captain Rohit Sharma, lost the rescheduled Test, and the series ended 2-2.With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli having stepped away from red-ball cricket, the young Indian side, now under new captain Shubman Gill, will face a tough challenge in English conditions.“I think it’s very exciting to play in this part of the world where you face different challenges. The first one, of course, is weather. Sometimes it’s cloudy, sometimes it’s bright, sunny, and as a player, you need to make adjustments to your game, whether you’re batting or bowling,” the pace-bowling all-rounder said in a video posted on BCCI’s social media accounts.“It’s good to have that fresh energy in the team, a few youngsters coming up, and new talents are always exciting. Now that the England team is also playing a different kind of cricket. You know, like to surprise them also that we are here to put up a show, and it’s always great to win away series, away from home. And if we could achieve this feat, it would be massive for the entire nation,” he added.Reflecting on India’s previous tour, Shardul called it “one of the fondest memories” of his career. He played three Tests during the series, taking eight wickets and scoring two half-centuries in the fourth Test.
“I think the 2021 series, where we won a couple of games. The first one also we could have won, but unfortunately, it rained on the last day and we couldn’t chase down the total. But then we won in Lord’s, then we won in The Oval, and then we came back for the fifth Test next year. The series was level, but that was one of the fondest memories of mine, one of the best Test series that I have been part of,” he recalled.India will be eyeing a historic win, as they look to clinch a Test series in England for the first time since 2007. The five-match series also marks India’s first assignment in the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
