Mumbai: India all-rounder and Mumbai’s latest captain Shardul Thakur he is said to have been “underused” in England’s five Test series last year. Playing under a new Test captain Shubman Gill and under the guidance of the principal Gautam GambhirIndia drew the five-Test series 2-2. Thakur, who has taken 33 Test wickets in 13 Tests at 31.03, played in only two Tests in the series, in which he took two wickets at 72.00, at an economy rate of 5.33. In the two Tests, Thakur bowled 27 overs in which he scored 144 runs. Thakur bowled just six overs in the first innings of the first Test at Leeds, in which he conceded 38 runs without taking a wicket, when India bowled 100.4 overs. In the second innings, he took two for 51 in 10 overs, while India bowled out 82 overs. India lost the Test by five wickets, while England made 465 and 373 for five. Recalled for the fourth Test in Manchester, Thakur took 0-55 in 11 overs as England piled up 669 in the first innings. The game ended right there. Interestingly, on all three occasions, Thakur bowled the fewest overs among the average Indian batsmen. “After the 2024-25 season, the kind of season I had (he took 35 wickets in nine matches at 22.62), I think I could have played a few more games and made a real difference. When I played in England, I was not used well in bowling. In batting, yes, it was my mistake that I was playing 1 and I bowled in Manchester. beautifully (scored 41 in the first place). So I survived that magic. And India still posted a very strong total (358) in the first innings. Then the pitch was flat and then we were able to save the game. But if I hadn’t had that innings when the second new ball came, then the result would have been different,” Thakur told a group of reporters on the sidelines of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s ‘2026-27 season launch’ at the MCA ground in BKC on Wednesday. Destroying the fact that he was “dropped” from the England list due to “calculation errors”, Shardul, 34, said, “I would say that I am being thrown down and it was almost thrown in the wrong quarters. So there was a miscalculation I would say.” Did ‘Palghar Express’ talk to the pilot to explain about him? “No, I mean, you usually don’t have a word with the captain or the coach because the whole focus is on the game. Every time you are asked to do something, all you think is, well, now it’s my chance and I want to give it to the team. And when I do this, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen,” answered Thakur. Ruining that he was removed from the attack even after taking the wickets of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in the 55th over of the Leeds Test, when England chased down a good 373 and lost only five wickets, Thakur said, “So, if you see that in Leeds, I got two wickets back and India came back into the game, but I was stopped again. So that’s where I could have bowled long, maybe in another game and we would have won. So again, if it’s buts.“ “My comments won’t change the circumstances of the game and the outcome of the game. But yeah, I mean, you don’t get to have that kind of conversation very often with the captain and all. You take whatever you’re asked to do,” said Thakur. During his press conference in England during the Test match last year, Thakur expressed his displeasure at being bowled less than he wanted. However, despite the pain he faced while playing for the country last time, Thakur is hopeful that he will get another chance to play for India in the future. “So, it’s not that I didn’t make any contributions when I played in India last time. But yes, I think I deserve more opportunities. But that’s okay. As I said, hope is still alive. And soon, if they ask me to play in India again, I would be ready,” he said.
