"There is a question whether you gain anything by playing him" - Aakash Chopra on India's bowling in ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has criticized the Indian team's bowling in England's first innings of the fourth Test. He wondered whether Shubman Gill and company gained anything by playing Shardul Thakur, as the seam-bowling all-rounder didn't impress with the ball.

India allowed England to post 669 runs in their first innings on Day 4 (Saturday, July 26) in Manchester. The visitors ended the day at 174/2 in their second innings, still trailing the hosts by 137 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener praised Ben Stokes (141 off 198) for scoring a century but noted that the Indian bowling, especially Thakur, was below par.

"Ben Stokes was doing well with the ball at the start and was slightly cold with the bat, but he has scored a century here. So he has scored runs and picked up a five-wicket haul. India had scored 358, and they have scored 669. They have a 311-run lead. I don't even remember the last time India conceded 600 runs," Chopra said (4:55). "In bowling, (Mohammed) Siraj looked slightly 50-50. We have spoken about (Jasprit) Bumrah's speed. Shardul Thakur hasn't really impressed much. So there is a question whether you gain anything by playing him," he added.

Shardul Thakur went wicketless and conceded 55 runs in 11 overs. While Jasprit Bumrah registered figures of 2/112 in 33 overs, Mohammed Siraj picked up a solitary wicket and gave away 140 runs in 30 overs.

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"Was he fully ready for this match, or were you too hasty?" - Aakash Chopra on Anshul Kamboj's selection for ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Anshul Kamboj bowled only 18 overs in England's first innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra wondered whether Anshul Kamboj (1/89 in 18 overs) was fit enough to play the Manchester Test.

"There is a question about Anshul Kamboj. Was he fully ready for this match, or were you too hasty? You have played him, but maybe he wasn't ready because he was returning from injury. There are plenty of questions, but the truth is that the bowling looked cold," he said.

While acknowledging that the Old Trafford pitch had become placid by the time England started their innings, the cricketer-turned-commentator opined that India missed a wicket-taker like Kuldeep Yadav.

"I admit the pitch is flat, because we should have scored 425-450 when we scored 350, although the ball was moving a little more till the second day. After that, the pitch became like a road where everyone hit. However, bowling definitely was found out because you need wicket-takers on such pitches, and Kuldeep Yadav was definitely missed," Chopra observed.

Ravindra Jadeja (4/143 in 37.1 overs) was India's most successful bowler in England's first innings. Washington Sundar (2/107 in 28 overs), the other spinner in the XI, also fared decently with the ball.

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Edited by Kartik Iyer