Twitter Reactions World Test Championship (2021-23)

'Lord Thakur England me masti kar rhe hain' - Fans react as Shardul Thakur meets famous English singer Liam Payne ahead of WTC 2023 final

Here's how fans reacted after Shardul Thakur shared an image with popular English singer-songwriter Liam Payne.

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Rohit Kumar
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Shardul Thakur and Liam Payne (Source - Twitter)

Shardul Thakur and Liam Payne (Source - Twitter)

The cricket action is all set to move from T20 cricket to the red-ball format as India are set to clash against Australia in the World Test Championship final (WTC) starting on June 7 at The Oval. The Men in Blue have qualified in the WTC final for the second time since 2021, however, they suffered a loss against New Zealand in the final match of the previous and inaugural edition of WTC.

Meanwhile, ahead of the WTC final match against Australia, India’s star allrounder Shardul Thakur met with English singer-songwriter Liam Payne on Tuesday.  Shardul took a selfie during their interaction and shared it on his Instagram story after which the picture instantly went viral on social media.

The 31-year-old allrounder would play in just his 9th Test match if selected for the WTC final contest against Australia at The Oval in south London. Thakur has played in eight Test matches, three of which have been in England, where he grabbed eight wickets and scored two half-centuries during India's most recent series there.

And at The Oval, the host venue for this week's WTC Final, Thakur really shone. In the first innings, when India was in trouble, he came into the match and scored a counterattacking 36 off 36 balls before playing a stunning knock of 60 runs, which enabled India's bottom order to contribute to a significant second-inning total.

Will Shardul Thakur get a place in India's playing XI

Meanwhile, talking about India’s playing XI, the exact lineup won't be made public until the first morning as said by the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma at the media briefing on Tuesday, June 6. But Thakur, who can move the ball and contribute runs down the order, will be given serious consideration to play as the fast-bowling allrounder.

Thakur may also be a part of a potential four-pronged seam assault if India chooses not to play both of their spinners. Thakur will be especially useful if there are any overcast periods during a game when the forecast shows the weather should be generally fair. A picture was also released on Tuesday in which the pitch was looking very green and is expected to help the seamers more. So, there are high chances that Thakur might get a spot in the playing XI.

Here’s how fans reacted:

India vs Australia 2023 WTC