Shardul Thakur Breaks Silence Over 'Underutilisation' By Gautam Gambhir-Led Management

India all-rounder Shardul Thakur breaks silence on his frustrating England tour, accusing Gautam Gambhir's management of under-utilising his bowling skills.

Shardul Thakur feels that he was underutilized, under-bowled during his last Test series.

Source : PTI

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Shardul Thakur questioned Gautam Gambhir's tactical approach as head coach.
• Thakur felt underutilized, under-bowled, and misused during his last Test series.
• He believes
• Thakur aims to rejoin the national squad across all three formats.

The experienced India national cricket team bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur has caused massive ripples across the international cricketing fraternity by openly questioning the tactical approach of head coach Gautam Gambhir. Ahead of the scheduled short-format bilateral campaign against England in Durham, the Mumbai-born seam bowler expressed immense dissatisfaction regarding his handling during his previous red-ball outing.

The thirty-three-year-old multi-skilled cricketer featured in merely two Test matches during the previous five-match tour, finding his role heavily restricted under the newly established leadership structure. The versatile asset voiced deep structural concerns regarding the modern strategic deployment of backup pace bowling resources.

Overcast Performance Breakdown

The medium-fast bowler asserted that the leadership group failed to capitalise on his established seam-bowling capabilities during critical moments across the English tour. The experienced domestic performer featured exclusively in the third Test match at Headingley and the subsequent fourth fixture hosted at Old Trafford.

The multi-format player managed to accumulate scores of 41 and 4 during his solitary batting outings while operating under challenging swinging conditions in Manchester. He explained that his defensive technical application provided crucial lower-order stability when the specialist top-order batsmen collapsed early on.

"When I played in England, I don't think I was utilised properly. In batting, yes, it was my mistake that I played a loose shot in Leeds. But in Manchester, I batted beautifully, I would say, because it was overcast, the ball was swinging, and there was one length from where the ball was hardly bouncing," Shardul Thakur stated in an interview with RevSportz.

Shardul Thakur On 'Calculation Errors'

Shardul claimed that statistical errors from the tracking analysts restricted his overall impact to just twenty-seven overs across his two game appearances. The frustrated bowler insisted that the management group constantly deployed his military-medium pace variations during inappropriate tactical phases.

The player feels completely overlooked given his extensive history of delivering critical red-ball breakthroughs during challenging away assignments. He believes that his domestic performances during the previous calendar year warranted a much longer run within the playing XI.

"So it's not that I didn't make any contribution when I last played for India. But yes, I think I deserved a few more opportunities. I would say it was more about being under-bowled and being used in the wrong phases. There were some calculation errors, I would say," Thakur explained during the RevSportz broadcast.

Future International Ambition

The energetic lower-order batsman remains highly optimistic about forcing his way back into the premier national white-ball framework under future leadership cycles. He emphasized that representing the country across all three international versions remains his absolute professional priority going forward.

The seasoned cricketer concluded his statements by reaffirming his physical readiness to rejoin the national squad whenever selectors require multi-dimensional backup assets. The tracking data indicates that the versatile competitor remains a useful alternative for upcoming transition schedules.

"Playing for India is a dream - everyone's dream. Even during my previous stints with the Indian team, there were a handful of games where I made an impact and literally won matches for the team. So, even in the near future, or whenever I make a comeback, I'm still willing to contribute as much as I can," Thakur concluded to RevSportz.