Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai
Shardul Thakur says he still has “100 per cent desire” to play for India. He looks back to the Test series in England last year and laments his bowling time. Shardul played two Tests in the five-match series, bowled just 27 overs and took two wickets.
“When I played in England, I was not utilised properly in bowling,” said Shadul, speaking to a select group of journalists at the BKC on Wednesday. The occasion was Mumbai cricket’s 2026-27 season launch organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association. Shardul went on…
“In batting, yes, it was my mistake that I played a loose shot in Leeds,” he recounted. “But in Manchester, I batted beautifully. I would say it was overcast, the ball was swinging, and there was one length where it was bouncing oddly. So, I survived that spell, and India still put up a very, very strong total in the first innings. And then the pitch became flat and we were able to save the game. But had I not had that innings when the second new ball arrived, then 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.”
But what did he mean by he wasn’t utilised properly in bowling? Was it a case of being underbowled or not getting the right end? “I would say (I) was being underbowled and it was about being bowled in wrong phases,” the all-rounder, who has played 13 Tests, 47 ODIs and 25 T20Is, explained. “So, there was some calculation error that I would say.”
Did he have a word with the captain? “No, I mean, usually you don’t have a word with the captain or the coach (during the match) because all the focus is on the game,” said Shardul. “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’. And while doing that, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen.
“So, if you see that in Leeds, I got those two back-to-back wickets and India were back in the game, but then I was stopped again (not given the bowling). So 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.”
Shardul, the Mumbai captain, who helped India win a Test at Lord’s in 2021 and earned the sobriquet, Lord Shardul, still harbours hopes of a national team comeback. “I have 100 per cent desire to play for India again.”
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