'When I played in England, I was not utilised properly...': Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur during MCA’s season launch event in BKC on Wednesday. Pic/Shadab Khan

India's pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur feels he was not utilised properly in the Leeds Test during India's England tour last year.

The Ben Stokes-led hosts won the match by five wickets with Thakur bowling just six overs in the first innings (conceding 38 runs) and 10 overs in the second (conceding 51 runs), where he dismissed opener Ben Duckett (who scored 149) and Harry Brook (0).

After the Leeds Test, Thakur played the fourth drawn Test at Manchester, scoring 41 in the first innings and going wicketless in his 11 overs.

"When I played in England [in 2025], I was not utilised properly [as a bowler]. I could've played a few more games and made a difference. I made a mistake while batting where I played a loose shot at Leeds [scored 1 and 4], but at Manchester [Test], I batted beautifully [scored 41]. It was overcast, the ball was swinging, and bouncing oddly from a certain length. I survived that spell and helped India put up a very strong total in the first innings [358]. Then, the pitch became flat and we were able to save the game. But had I not played that innings when the second new ball arrived, the result could've been different. So, it's not that I've not made contributions when I played for India last. I deserve more opportunities," Thakur told reporters on the sidelines of the Mumbai Cricket Association's 2026-27 season launch at the MCA-BKC academy on Wednesday.

Shubman Gill was the skipper in England and Thakur felt that a calculation error led to him being under-utilised. "I was under-bowled and being bowled in the wrong phases. There was some calculation error there," he said.

However, Thakur, 34, who has claimed 33 scalps in 13 Tests, is optimistic about a comeback. "Whenever I've played for the country, I've made some impact and won matches. So, when I make a comeback, I'm still willing to do as much. I desire to play for India again. Hope is a strong word. And till that hope is alive, everything is possible." Thakur added.