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Mumbai: India all-rounder and current Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur has alleged that he was “underutilized” in the five-Test series in England last year. Playing under new Test captain Shubman Gill and guided by head coach Gautam Gambhir, India drew the five-Test series 2-2. Thakur, who has taken 33 Test wickets in 13 Tests at 31.03, played in just two Tests in the series, in which he took two wickets at 72.00, at an economy rate of 5.33. Across the two Tests, Thakur bowled 27 overs while conceding 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, as India bowled 100.4 overs. In the second innings, he took two for 51 in 10 overs, as India bowled 82 overs. India lost that Test by five wickets, as England made 465 and 373 for five. Recalled for the fourth Test at Manchester, Thakur conceded 0-55 in 11 overs as England piled up 669 in the first innings. The match ended in a draw. Interestingly, on all three occasions, Thakur bowled the fewest overs among all the regular Indian bowlers. “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 literally made a difference. 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 (he was out for 1 and 4). But in Manchester, I batted beautifully (he scored 41 in the first innings). 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 strong total (358) in the first innings. And 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 arrived, then probably the result could have been different also,” Thakur told a select group of reporters on the sidelines of the Mumbai Cricket Association’s ‘2026-27 season launch’ at the MCA’s BKC facility on Wednesday. Ruing the fact that he was “underbowled” in the England series due to some “calculation error”, the 34-year-old Shardul said, “I would say I was being underbowled and it was about being bowled in the wrong phases. So there was some calculation error that I would say.” Did the ‘Palghar Express’ have a word with the captain to clarify the situation with regard to him? “No, I mean, 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. And while doing that, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen,” Thakur replied. Ruing the fact that he was taken off the attack even after taking the wickets of Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in the 55th over of the Leeds Test, as England chased down 373 successfully while losing just five wickets, Thakur said, “So, if you see that in Leeds, I got those two back-to-back wickets and India was back in the game, but then I was stopped again. 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.” “My comments are not going to change the scenario of that game and the result of that game. But yeah, I mean, you don’t end up having these kinds of conversations usually with the captain and all. You basically take whatever has been asked of you to do,” Thakur said. During one of his press conferences in England during the Test series last year, Thakur had hinted at being unhappy about being bowled far less than he wanted to. However, despite his bitter experience while playing for the country the last time around, Thakur is hopeful that he will get a chance to play for India again in the future. “So, it’s not that I have not made any contributions when I played for India last time. But yes, I think I deserve a few more opportunities. But it’s okay. Like I said, hope is still alive. And in the near future, if they ever ask me to play for India again, I would be ready,” he said.
