All-Rounder Shardul Thakur says he was "underutilised" during the Test series against England last year
During the England trip, 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.
XtraTime Newsdesk: On Monday, Shardul Thakur 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 final Test match for India was in the fourth Test at Manchester.
During the England trip, 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 recalled his innings in Manchester, where India were bowled out for 358 before the pitch flattened for England to pile up 669 in the 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," said Thakur, who scored an 88-ball 41 at No. 7 in the fourth Test.
"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.
Thakur said he was brought into the attack in "wrong phases" in England.
"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.
Thakur said he remains fully motivated to return to India’s Test side, insisting his performance levels and past match-winning contributions justify a place in the team.
