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Shardul Thakur has been in red-hot form for Mumbai these days. In eight matches, he has scored 396 runs for the 42-time champions and picked up 30 wickets.
Shardul Thakur has scored 396 runs and picked up 30 wickets in eight matches of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 for Mumbai. (Picture Credit: AP)
Star Indian fast bowler Shardul Thakur, who has also played many game-changing knocks with the bat in all three formats of the game for Team India, is hopeful about getting a chance to play for India again in the future. The 33-year-old cricketer from Mumbai last played for India against South Africa in December 2023 at Supersport Park in Centurion during the first Test of the two-match series. Shardul scored 24 and 2 runs in two innings of that match and picked up one wicket. He was dropped from the playing XI for the second Test and since then has not gotten a chance to play for India in any format.
Despite being out of the national team radar, Shardul, who has been in red-hot form these days for Mumbai, both with the bat and ball in the Ranji Trophy, asserts that he is “always in contention.”
Shardul scored 51 and 119 runs for Mumbai in Ajinkya Rahane-led side’s sixth Elite Group A match against Jammu and Kashmir, and in the next match against Meghalaya, he picked up four wickets in each innings to set up Mumbai’s big win by an innings and 456 runs. Shardul picked up his first hat trick in the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai in the first innings of that match and also hammered 84 runs from just 42 balls with the help of nine fours and five sixes.
In the ongoing quarterfinal match against Haryana at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Thakur dismissed six Haryana batters for 58 runs in the first innings to help 42-time Ranji champions secure a crucial lead in the first innings.
Speaking to reporters after the end of the third day’s play in Kolkata on Monday, Shardul said, “When there’s no place in the team, there’s naturally disappointment. And, when you’re not playing, sitting idle at home, you tend to think about it more.”
“But once I step onto the field, my entire focus is on the match—whether it’s club cricket, Ranji Trophy, IPL, or playing for India. To me, every cricket match is the same, regardless of the level. I always aim to give my best in whichever game I play. I don’t have any other thoughts.”
Thakur was India’s star performer in the 2021 Test series against England, and he is hopeful about getting a chance to play for India again in English conditions. India is set to face England in a five-match Test series from June 20 to August 3.
“Yes, absolutely. I believe I’m in contention. The next step is to make my place in the team and earn selection. That’s always the goal,” he said.
“Right now, I’m playing at the Ranji Trophy level. International cricket is the highest level we all strive for. It’s always on my mind; it’s the motivation to play for the country that drives me forward. That passion, that fire, never fades.”
Thakur, who went unsold in the IPL 2025 mega auction, is open to playing county cricket to gain experience in English conditions.
“If I get an offer, I’ll definitely play. It would be a great new experience. Right now, there are no concrete plans, but county cricket has 6-7 matches around that time. If selected, it will help me adjust to English conditions before the (England) tour,” he said.
