3 reasons why India must recall Shardul Thakur to their Test setup for England tour of 2025

Pace-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur often had fans equally divided when he was a regular in the Indian side across formats. Thakur's wickets would alternate between innocuousness and sensational in a matter of minutes, forcing many to ponder whether the Mumbai seamer is a genius or just downright lucky.

Irrespective, the 33-year-old won India several crucial matches with his ability to come up clutch with ball and bat under trying circumstances. Yet, Shardul has been out of the Indian Test side since the 2023-24 tour of South Africa.

Meanwhile, Team India have hit rock-bottom in the red-ball format, with back-to-back series defeats against New Zealand at home and in Australia. With the next Test assignment being a daunting five-match affair in England in June, India may be well-served to draft Thakur back into the mix in the long format.

His recent all-round form in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy has been incredible with bowling and batting averages of 28.37 and 42.42. Shardul scored a brilliant 119 in the ongoing clash against Jammu & Kashmir with Mumbai reeling at 91/6, reminiscent of his game-changing 109 and 75 in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy semi-final and final against Tamil Nadu and Vidarbha.

The veteran all-rounder was frustrated about being excluded from the Indian side and told reporters after Day 1 of the ongoing clash against Jammu & Kashmir:

“What can I talk about my quality? Others should talk about it. They should see that if someone has quality, he should be given more chances. I like batting in difficult situations. In easy situations, everyone does well, but how you put up the show in adverse situations matters. I see tough situations as a challenge and always think about how to overcome that challenge." [Via India Today].

Considering his incredible red-ball form and India's recent dismal Test results, Shardul Thakur's return to the Test side for the England tour must be imminent, and here are three reasons why.

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#1 Shardul Thakur solves the selection dilemma that plagued India in Australia

Shardul Thakur could perform the Nitish Kumar Reddy role to greater effect [Credit: Getty]

One of India's major issues in the recently concluded Australian Test tour was the dilemma between playing a specialist fourth seamer and batting all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. The side predominantly went with the latter and paid the price despite Nitish's impressive batting performances.

While his selection improved the batting depth, India was often found wanting a specialist pacer short on seamer-friendly pitches. However, should they have played a proper fourth seamer, the tail may have started as early as No.8.

Playing Nitish was largely a compromise for the top-order frailties and a way to combat challenging batting wickets. Yet, the bowling ultimately suffered when Aussie partnerships blossomed and the absence of a fourth seamer was felt.

The inclusion of Shardul Thakur at No.8 would take care of both issues as he could be the ideal fourth pacer with the ability to also score valuable runs - similar to the role he is playing to perfection for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.

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#2 Shardul Thakur's experience and past performances in England

Thakur has enjoyed success in English conditions with the red ball [Credit: Getty]

Another glaring issue for India during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was the lack of experience in the pace department. While Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj carried a heavy workload, India was often let down by their third seamer and his lack of experience of bowling in alien conditions.

England offers unique pitch and overhead conditions and the ability to adapt and bowl the ideal lines and lengths counts for plenty. The same logic applies for batting in England and this is where Shardul Thakur's inclusion will be invaluable.

The Mumbai pacer has played three Tests in England (2021-22 tour), performing admirably with bat and ball. Thakur has picked up eight wickets at an average of 33.37 and scored 122 runs at an average of 22.

His half-centuries in each innings, along with three wickets played a massive role in India's 157-run win in the Oval Test of the 2021-22 England tour.

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#3 Ability to deliver in crunch moments with bat and ball

Shardul Thakur has scored vital runs for India in Tests [Credit: Getty]

As impressive as Shardul Thakur's overall Test numbers are with a bowling average of under 29 and a batting average of almost 20, it doesn't paint the complete picture about the pace-bowling all-rounder.

Much like his ability to score runs when Mumbai is in dire straits in the Ranji Trophy, Shardul has displayed the knock of doing the same in the Indian whites. In just his second Test match, he scored a game-changing 67 to help India pull off a miraculous win over Australia in Brisbane in 2021.

The twin fifties at the Oval came with the series tied at 1-1 and India reeling at 117/6 in the first innings and trying to up the ante at 312/6 in the second innings. Thakur also scored a crucial 51 at 152/6 against Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship (WTC) to help India avoid the follow-on.

Shardul Thakur has displayed a similar clutch gene with the ball, dismissing some of the world's best batters at crucial moments across formats. The 2021-22 England tour was classic evidence for the same - he removed ace batter Joe Root twice in the three Tests he played and also accounted for Ben Stokes, a well-set Ollie Pope, and Jos Buttler at different times in the series.

Lest we forget, India was in most of the five Tests in the recent Australian series but failed to capitalize on the big moments - something Shardul has made a habit of doing in domestic and international matches.