India all-rounder Shardul Thakur has opened up about his limited role during India’s Test tour of England last year, saying he believes the team management could have utilised him far more effectively. The experienced seam-bowling all-rounder feels his performances deserved greater backing, particularly after an impressive domestic campaign in the 2024-25 season. Thakur featured in only two of the five Tests during India’s 2-2 drawn series in England, claiming two wickets and scoring 46 runs.

Since then, the 34-year-old has not represented India, but he believes he had done enough to earn more opportunities and make a meaningful impact. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Shardul Thakur admitted it was difficult to judge selection decisions but insisted his form warranted a longer run in the side. “It’s very hard to comment on that. But after the 2024-25 season, the kind of season I had, I think I could have played a few more games and literally made a difference,” Thakur said.

The Mumbai all-rounder was particularly disappointed with how he was used with the ball during the England series. Across the two Tests, he bowled only 27 overs, something he believes prevented him from settling into a rhythm and influencing the game. Thakur acknowledged that he made a costly mistake with the bat in the Leeds Test but felt he made up for it with a gritty knock in the fourth Test at Manchester. Batting at No. 7 under challenging conditions, he scored a crucial 41 off 88 deliveries to help India stay in the contest.

“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,” he said. Reflecting on the Manchester innings, Thakur explained that the conditions heavily favoured the bowlers, making his contribution even more valuable.

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“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 we were able to save the game. Had I not played that innings when the second new ball arrived, probably the result could have been different. So it’s not that I have not made any contributions when I played for India last time,” he added.

Thakur also suggested that India’s tactics under captain Shubman Gill were not ideal, claiming he was not only under-bowled but also introduced into the attack at the wrong stages of the innings.

“I would say it was not just about being under-bowled. It was also about being bowled in the wrong phases. There was some calculation error, that I would say,” he remarked. When asked whether he had discussed the matter with Gill or head coach Gautam Gambhir, Thakur explained that such conversations rarely happen during a match because the focus remains entirely on the game. “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, ‘Now is my chance and I want to deliver for the team.’ While doing that, sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.

The all-rounder also revisited the opening Test at Leeds, where India suffered a five-wicket defeat despite Thakur dismissing Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in quick succession. He believes that was the moment when he should have been allowed a longer spell.

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“In Leeds, I got those two back-to-back wickets and India was back in the game. But then I was stopped again. 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,” Shardul Thakur said. While maintaining that the outcome cannot be changed now, Thakur accepted that players ultimately have to respect the captain’s decisions and contribute whenever they are called upon.