‘I was not utilised properly’: Shardul Thakur takes aim at Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir over England tour

India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has spoken candidly about his limited role during India’s recent Test tour of England, saying he believes he could have contributed much more if he had been given additional opportunities. The 34-year-old also felt the team management did not make the best use of his bowling, despite his performances in domestic cricket leading into the series.

Thakur has not featured for India since that England tour, where he played only two Tests as the five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw.

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Shardul feels he could have made a bigger impact

Looking back at the tour, Thakur said his performances in the 2024-25 domestic season had earned him the right to play more matches. He believes he could have influenced the outcome if he had been trusted with a bigger role.

“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 (on England tour) and literally made a difference,” Thakur told reporters on Wednesday.

The all-rounder featured in only two Tests, where he picked up two wickets and scored 46 runs.

‘I was not utilised properly with the ball’: Thakur

Thakur admitted he made a mistake with the bat in the Leeds Test but felt he made up for it with an important innings in Manchester, where difficult batting conditions tested every player.

Batting at No. 7, he scored a valuable 41 from 88 balls in the drawn fourth Test.

“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,” Thakur said.

He believes that innings played a crucial role in helping India stay in the contest.

“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 added.

Questions team’s bowling strategy

Thakur also suggested that it was not only the number of overs he bowled that disappointed him, but also the timing of when he was introduced into the attack.

Across the two Tests, he bowled just 27 overs.

“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,” Thakur said.

No discussion with captain or coach during matches

When asked if he had raised the issue with captain Shubman Gill or head coach Gautam Gambhir, Thakur said players generally avoid such conversations during a match because everyone’s attention remains on helping the team.

“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’. While doing that, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t happen,” he said.

Recalls Leeds Test decisions

Thakur also referred to the opening Test at Leeds, where India suffered a five-wicket defeat. He recalled dismissing Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in quick succession before being taken off the attack, a decision he believes affected his impact on the match.

The experienced all-rounder remains hopeful of returning to the Indian side and believes he still has ability to offer whenever the opportunity comes again.