In December 2023, Shardul Thakur made his most recent appearance for India. Since then, the pacer has not been included in the starting lineup. His injuries and recovery were the primary causes of this. He is presently participating in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024–25 for the Mumbai team. The 33-year-old was signed by Essex to a seven-county-game contract after demonstrating his skill with the ball and playing some vital innings for Mumbai with the bat.
In 2025, Shardul Thakur will be available for the first leg in April and May, it is worth noting. Regretfully, the right-arm bowler who had registered for the IPL 2025 mega auctions was not sold. He will be seen wearing the Essex whites since he has chosen to take advantage of the two-month timeframe. This will be Thakur’s first time playing for a county, and he has taken over 100 wickets for India in all three formats.
“I am thrilled to be joining Essex this summer. For me, it offers fresh challenges as well as chances to demonstrate my abilities.
I’ve always wanted to play county cricket, and I’m happy to be playing for the Eagles,” Shardul Thakur added.
The returning director of cricket for Essex, Chris Silverwood, also said he was thrilled with the acquisition.
“Getting Shardul Thakur signing over the finish line makes us very happy. We were pretty clear that this winter, the team wanted to get a top-tier quick bowler who could bat in the bottom order.We have signed Shardul, and we are eager to have him visit Essex and watch how he performs in the County Championship,” Silverwood added.
After guiding Mumbai to the semi-finals of the current Ranji Trophy 2024–25, Thakur is hoping to return to the Indian setup. At an amazing average of 21.67, he has amassed over 400 runs and taken 34 wickets. Nitish Reddy was picked for the Australia tour, thus he was passed over. He wants to return to the starting lineup with more strong performances.
India
