Shardul Thakur has expressed his dissatisfaction at not being “utilised properly” during India’s five-Test trip of England in 2025, claiming that he had performed well the last time he represented the nation.
All-rounder Thakur acknowledged that he made one mistake with the bat during the England trip, but overall, he should have played more games than he did during the 2024–25 season. Thakur’s last Test match for India was in the fourth Test at Manchester.
During the England tour, Thakur only played in two of the five Test matches. In those two games, he bowled a total of 27 overs, taking two wickets and scoring 46 runs.
Thakur pointed to his innings in Manchester, where India were dismissed for 358 before the pitch eased considerably, allowing England to rack up 669 in their first innings.
“When I played in England, I was not utilised properly in bowling. In batting, yes, it was my mistake that I played a loose shot in Leeds. But in Manchester, I batted beautifully,” PTI quoted Thakur, who scored an 88-ball 41 at No. 7 in the fourth Test, as saying.
“It was overcast, the ball was swinging, and there was (a) length where it was bouncing oddly. I survived that spell and India still put up a very, very strong total in the first innings.”
“Then the pitch became flat and then we were also able to save the game. But had I not had that innings when the second new ball (had) arrived, probably the result could have been different also. So it’s not that I have not made any contributions when I played for India last time,” he said.
He was brought into the attack during “wrong phases” in England, according to Thakur.
“I would say it was (not just about) being under-bowled and it was (also) about being bowled in wrong phases. There was some calculation error, that I would say,” he said.
“Usually, you don’t have a word with the captain or the coach because all the focus is on the game. Whenever you are asked to do something, all you think about is, ‘okay, now is my chance and I want to deliver for the team’,” he replied when asked if he discussed the same with captain Shubman Gill or head coach Gautam Gambhir.
“While doing that, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen,” he said.
Thakur responded that it’s not true that he didn’t perform well in his most recent game when asked if he had thought about being left off the Indian Test team.
“It’s very hard to comment on that. But after 2024-25 season, the kind of season I had, I think I could have played a few more games and literally made a difference,” Thakur said.
After dismissing England centurion Ben Duckett and Harry Brook for a duck on two successive deliveries in the series opener at Leeds, which India lost by five wickets, Thakur lamented being removed from the attack.
“In Leeds, I got those two back-to-back wickets and India was back in the game. But then I was stopped again,” he said.
“That’s where I could have bowled a longer spell, maybe got another wicket and then the other bowlers would have come in and we could have won that game also.”
“So again, ifs and buts. My comments are not going to change the result of that game. But you don’t end up having these kinds of conversations usually with the captain and all. You basically take whatever has been asked (for) you to do,” Thakur said.
The 34-year-old stated that he is “100 percent” ready to make a comeback to the Indian Test team.
“I would say the bar is set at 100 per cent that I want to make a comeback,” Thakur said.
“Playing for India is everyone’s dream. Whenever I’ve played for the country, there are a handful of games where I’ve made impact and literally won the game for the team,” he said.
