When Shardul Thakur began his domestic season, he was faced with two challenges. In the absence of Dhawal Kulkarni who was with India’s one-day team then sidelined due to a knee injury, he had to lead the Mumbai pace attack. And he had to keep himself in contention for a place in the Test squad.
Those who prefer to analyse performances merely on the basis of numbers would feel that he has let himself down on both counts. A tally of 17 wickets from eight games was certainly not impressive, especially on the back of two seasons where he had over 40 wickets.
But neither Thakur nor most who have seen him bowl will see his performances as below par.
No doubt he has been inconsistent with line and length but he has unfailingly run in at full steam, like he did during a nine-over spell split on either side of tea on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Tamil Nadu that got Mumbai back in the game.
“I wouldn’t say I am totally happy with how it’s turned out for me this season but my efforts are there, so I am happy about giving my hundred per cent in batting, bowling and fielding,” Thakur said.
“We played a few games in places like Mysore and Hubli, which were dull pitches. Even there, I had my chances but there were a few decisions which could have gone either way. I got (a couple of wickets) at the top, and I didn’t really bowl to the tail, so if you look at the wickets column, it’s always going to be one, two or three wickets.”
“I haven’t changed anything going into the season but preparations have definitely changed,” he said. “In the off-season, I was touring with the Indian team. In the domestic off-season we were playing against the West Indies,” he said.
“Then I went to play against Australia for India-A, so I was playing matches and I wasn’t really in the (mind-)frame of the Ranji Trophy when I arrived. But, coming here, it was important for me to keep bowling well. In that way you can say that things were different for me.”
